Box Score The Pack close out their home schedule with a close win after a solid shooting performance from the class of 2019
NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola University New Orleans men's basketball team closed out the home schedule on a high note, defeating Blue Mountain College 84-82 on Senior Day Saturday in The Den.
The Toppers (11-14, 5-14 SSAC) took control early, scoring nine-straight points to open the game before Joseph Ruzevich got the Wolf Pack on the board by converting on an and-one. The Pack chipped away at the deficit gradually until the four-minute mark, when Ethan Turner hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 37-37. Ruzevich knocked down a triple to give Loyola a four-point lead, their largest of the half, with just over a minute remaining in the period. Blue Mountain would then score a basket in the paint to cut the lead to two points as the Pack would hold a 43-41 lead at halftime.
Loyola had a strong start to the second half, with the home squad taking a double-digit advantage at the 13-minute mark after Turner got fouled on a three-point attempt and connected on all three shots from the line, completing a 9-0 stretch that put the Pack up 60-49. Later, a couple of treys from Eric Brown capped off a 9-1 run, extending the home lead to its largest of the game at 69-55 with just over eight minutes to play.
Blue Mountain whittled away at their deficit, but the Wolf Pack were able to stave off their comeback attempt, giving the senior class of Brown, Benjamin Fields, Tre'Von Jasmine, Ruzevich, and Turner an 84-82 victory in their final home game.
The Wolf Pack will hit the road for the final two games of the regular season, beginning with a 6:30 p.m. matchup against Dalton State in Dalton, Ga., on Thursday, February 21.
Wolf Pack Head Coach Stacy Hollowell
"I'm proud of our team. It was really nice for our seniors to go out with a home win in their last game here. I was particularly proud of Joe Ruzevich and the energy that he gave us right off the bat. He showed a lot of resolve and was a key contributor for us tonight. Eric Brown and Ethan Turner hit some key threes for us tonight, and Zach and Myles continue to produce, with each of them getting a double-double.Terry Smith Jr. was strong on the glass today, he had 13 rebounds but got his hands on everything down low."
Pack Facts
Filling up the box score once again was Zach Wrightsil, who notched his SSAC-leading 13th double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, adding 7 assists.
Wrightsil continued to jump up the leaderboards in the Loyola record books, as he's now seventh in assists in a season (112), ninth in rebounds in a season (226), and 11th in points in a season (523)
Also making moves on the school leaderboards, Myles Burns moved to sixth in rebounds in a season with 243 total boards after grabbing 11 on Saturday.
Burns was everywhere on the stat sheet, scoring 18 points to go along with his 11 boards for his 12th double-double of the season. He also added 3 steals, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.
Knocking down eight shots from deep, the 2019 senior class scored 38 points on the day, with Ethan Turner (17) and Joseph Ruzevich (11) both putting up double figures.
You can keep up with the Pack this season by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.
