Box Score The fourth-seeded Loyola Wolf Pack battled hard but lost in the SSAC Championship to Dalton State Saturday
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The 21st-ranked Loyola Wolf Pack's pursuit for a second straight Southern State Athletic Conference Championship fell short Saturday, losing to Dalton State 79-70 in the tournament championship. The Roadrunners, which are ranked No. 4 in the NAIA, earned an automatic bid to the NAIA Championship tournament with the win, and the Pack will have to wait until Wednesday, March 11, to see where they fall as an at-large.
Matt Matruah drilled two 3-pointers in the first three minutes of the game to put Loyola up 8-6, as it led for most of the first half. Tim Cameron and Myles Burns also made shots in the opening minutes, and Burns led the Pack with 13 first-half points. Burns actually made two 2-point field goals before converting back-to-back Terry Smith Jr. offensive rebounds into a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 13-8.
Cameron, Burns and Smith Jr. scored three straight for the Pack, pushing ahead 22-12, then Zach Wrightsil stopped a 6-0 Dalton State run with a bucket. The Roadrunners, however, would tie the game with another solid run, outscoring the Pack 12-6 during the next five minutes to tie the game at 30-30.
Dalton State took its first lead since it was 3-0 when it made it 34-32, but a made shot by Smith Jr. and two free throws by Wrightsil sent the two teams into the locker room tied 37-all.
Loyola started the second half with hot shooting on offense and strong defense. The Wolf Pack held the Roadrunners to just eight points through the first eight minutes, pushing ahead 54-45 with a 17-8 run. Maturah and Josh Leaney made 3-pointers in the first three minutes, then Burns and Wrightstil scored back-to-back points to give Loyola a seven-point lead.
Free throws by Cameron and Zach Muller capped off the Wolf Pack run to start the second half.
Dalton State, though, used a 19-9 run to take its first lead of the half, 64-63, with 4:40 left to play. The Wolf Pack only made two field goals during the Roadrunners' run, and they were limited to just three more field goals after, too, as Dalton State held the Pack to seven points in the final four minutes of play.
SSAC Men's Basketball Championship Schedule
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 | #2 Dalton State 79, #4 Loyola 70
Pack Facts
With eight assists, Tim Cameron broke the single-season Loyola record Saturday, notching 147 assists in his first season on campus.
Cameron also produced his third straight double-double in the tournament, scoring 15 points with 10 rebounds in the championship game.
Zach Wrightsil had two blocks in the game, moving the sophomore into the Top 10 in Loyola history with 61 career blocks. He's currently tied for 10th.
Terry Smith Jr. pulled down 10 rebounds Saturday, marking the fourth time this season with at least that many.
Josh Leaney tied a season-high with two steals, which was the fourth time this season he's accomplished that.
You can keep up with the Pack by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.
