Box Score The Wolf Pack took down the No. 1 seed Faulkner Friday in the SSAC Semifinals to earn a berth to their second-straight championship game
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The No. 22 Loyola Wolf Pack will play for a Southern States Athletic Conference tournament championship for the second straight year, defeating first-seeded Faulkner 69-66 in a semifinal contest.
Fourth-seeded Loyola will match up with the No. 2 seed Dalton State Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
Matt Maturah got the scoring started for the Wolf Pack with a 3-pointer a minute into the game, then he added another one a few minutes later to cut Faulkner's early lead to 12-11. Zach Wrightsil and Tim Cameron scored four points each midway through the first half to tie the game 19-19. A minute later, Terry Smith Jr. gave Loyola its first lead, 21-19, but the game was tied four times prior.
Myles Burns made Loyola's next three shots, keeping the game tied 28-28, then Wrightsil scored back-to-back buckets to give the Pack a 33-32 advantage. A made 3-point shot by Faulkner sent the two teams into halftime tied 37-37.
The Eagles led in the early going of the second half, but they could only take a 5-point lead in the first four minutes. Burns got the score to within three then Cameron drilled a 3-pointer to tie the game at 45-45. Wrightsil added three straight points and Burns scored another, as the Wolf Pack used a 10-0 run to take a 50-45 lead.
Faulkner took two brief leads during the next three minutes of game time, but Loyola went on a 12-4 run to go up for good. Every time Faulkner got close to Loyola's lead, Cameron, Wrightsil and Smith Jr. made free throws to keep the Eagles out of reach.
SSAC Men's Basketball Championship Schedule
Live Stats | Live Video | Bracket
Wednesday, March 4
Game 1 | #7 William Carey (Miss.) 83, #10 Blue Mountain (Miss.) 77
Game 2 | #8 Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 87, v. #9 Mobile (Ala.) 79
Thursday, March 5
Game 3 | #3 Stillman (Ala.) 80, #6 Middle Georgia State 75
Game 4 | #2 Dalton State (Ga.) 84, William Carey 82
Game 5 | #1 Faulkner (Ala.) 86, Martin Methodist 66
Game 6 | 9:45 p.m. | #4 Loyola (La.) 74, #5 Bethel (Tenn.) 65
Friday, March 6
Game 7 | #2 Dalton State 79, #3 Stillman 70
Game 8 #4 Loyola 69, #1 Faulkner 66
Saturday, March 7
Championship | 6:30 p.m. | #4 Loyola v. #2 Dalton State
On the difference in today's win vs. the two losses against Faulkner:
"I feel like we had more on the line this game. In the two conference games, I feel like we didn't take it as seriously. We were playing defense, but we weren't playing defense to our fullest potential. Today, we stayed composed and just locked down and really put our foot down that we're one of the best teams in this conference."
On his offensive approach:
"I didn't think too much about it. I kept pushing and stayed positive. That's my mentality, I just stay positive and keep it going. That's the reason why I came in with a fresh mindset, and it turned out well for this team and we got the win."
On how far the team can go:
"I feel like we can go as far as we want ourselves to go. We've been battling with ourselves more than the other team this whole year, dealing with each other and our personal issues. Now, as we're coming to an end, I feel like everyone's getting way more serious, we're coming together as a team, and that's really playing out on the court."
On getting the win:
"It meant a lot to me. I'm a passionate guy. I love the game of basketball, and I love my teammates. Coming into this game, I wanted to play more for my team rather than myself. I wanted to play for my team more than just winning, I wanted to play for my team so we could play together. It's a camaraderie, it's a family. So I was just focusing on that. It's very important for me and the guys, and I know everybody else wanted it. I was happy to play for the team and get the W."
On G Tim Cameron:
"He's come a long way. He normally doesn't play point guard. This year is a different scene for him. He's filling that spot more than ever because he's learning from his mistakes and watching film, and now he's starting to step into that leadership role. He's one of the older guys on the team, and he understands what we need to do to win. He's definitely filling in that spot for everyone else as well.
On the matchup with Dalton State:
"We have to bring focus. The name of the game for this tournament from now on is consistency. We have to stay playing defense. We can't have a mental lapse. They're going to make a run, it's Dalton State, but we have to stay poised and composed. I think that's what we need to do: stay focused, play defense, get rebounds, and do our thing. Offense is going to come based off of our defense."
Wolf Pack Head Coach Stacy Hollowell
On the difference in today's win vs. the two losses against Faulkner:
"Ultimately, the difference for us is defense. Faulkner got us twice. They scored 73 here in Montgomery and then they got us by five in New Orleans. We knew we had to defend and rebound. In the second half, our defensive field goal percentage was 29 percent. Against a team like that, you can win games like that. If we hit free throws, we could stretch that a little bit. We've struggled all year from the free-throw line. The boys played hard. They don't want to lose. They want championships, and it's fun to have those guys."
On controlling the paint:
"We need extra possessions, so we had to go get it off the glass. I think our guys realize the importance of it, and they realize the importance of guarding. We didn't do it for nine games this year that we let get away from us. It's an honor for me to have guys who play with so much pose and passion in tough circumstances. I'm proud of our guys."
On how to beat Dalton State:
"Same thing as tonight. Get back, guard, rebound. The offense will come, but we have to get back, guard, and rebound.
Pack Facts
A day after recording his first career double-double, Tim Cameron scored 18 points with 12 rebounds to produce his second straight double-double.
Myles Burns' 17 points and 10 rebounds gave him his 11th double-double of the season.
Burns also recorded three steals, giving him 164 for his career. He's now the career all-time leader in steals in Loyola history.
Zach Wrightsil scored 18 points in the semifinal contest, which was the most for the sophomore since he scored 19 on Feb. 17 against Florida College.
The Wolf Pack outrebounded Faulkner 44-29.
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