Box Score Loyola sophomore Zach Wrightsil notched his 1,000th-career point in Saturday's win over Mobile
NEW ORLEANS – The 16th-ranked Loyola Wolf Pack got some payback Saturday against Mobile. After losing to Mobile in January, the Wolf Pack took down the Rams 77-61 in The Den to avenge the loss.
Loyola moves to 18-6 overall and 8-4 in Southern States Athletic Conference play.
It was a quick start for both teams, as Mobile led 12-9 seven minutes into the game. Zach Wrightsil and Matt Maturah each had four points during that stretch, helping the Wolf Pack fight out of a 7-2 hole. Loyola cut the Rams' lead to 1-point twice before tying the game at 22-all with seven minutes left in the half.
Myles Burns scored four of his eight first-half points during that stretch, but Mobile pushed the lead out to 32-26 with less than four minutes on the clock. The Wolf Pack made a run of their own, though, closing out the first half with an 8-2 run thanks to four points from Tim Cameron and three from Eddie Burgess.
Mobile still led at the break 34-32, However, Loyola scored the first eight points of the second half and never looked back. It pushed the lead to six three minutes into the second, then built a 10-point lead five minutes later. Burns and Maturah each had eight points in those eight minutes, with Maturah nailing two 3-pointers.
That scoring push was a part of a 15-0 run, too, extending the lead to 64-46 with nine minutes to play. Mobile cut Loyola's lead to 14 points with less than seven minutes to go, but that was as close as the Rams would get.
Wrightsil's 1,000th career point came at the 7:15 mark of the second half, and it put the Wolf Pack up 68-51.
The Wolf Pack is back in The Den next Saturday for a 7 p.m. contest against William Carey. The contest is a part of Loyola's homecoming week, too.
Wolf Pack Head Coach Stacy Hollowell
"Mobile had a plan to keep us out on the perimeter, and in the first half, I thought they did a nice job of that. They knocked down some big 3s in the first half that put them in a position to be ahead. In the second half, we were able to generate better offense with second chances inside. The other thing was limiting their offensive rebounds and our turnovers. In the first half, we had eight and in the second half we only had two, so it gave us more opportunities. When you do that, you're able to control the tempo a little bit and we created some turnovers early in the second half to open up the lead.
"They were able to hit some 3s to make it a little scary, thinking they might come back, but Myles Burns' effort on the glass was big, TJ's effort on the glass was big, and I'm just really proud of Eddie Burgess for stepping in there and finishing around the basket. Hopefully, he can continue to build on that and we can get a nice little tandem going there with him, Josh and TJ. That's a nice interior presence that we've been missing."
Pack Facts
Zach Wrightsil had 10 points and three assists Saturday, giving him 1,002 points for his career and 102 assists for this season.
Myles Burns recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds. It was his best scoring performance since he scored 19 against Faulkner on Jan. 2.
Burns entered the Top 10 of another category in the Loyola record book, as he reached 58 blocks in his career. He's now tied for 10th in school history.
Eddie Burgess set a new career-high Saturday with 11 points. His previous career-high was 10 points set on Nov. 12 against SUNO. His five blocks were also a career-high, coming into the game with only nine on the season.
Matt Maturah was Loyola's second-leading scorer with 15 points, and it was his 10th double-digit game of the season.
Tim Cameron snagged four steals in the game, moving him up to third in the record book with 58 steals this season.
Loyola had 52 points in the paint compared to Mobile's 16.
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