Box Score The fifth-ranked Loyola Wolf Pack improved their conference record to 3-1 heading into a weekend with two home games against Stillman College
MOBILE, Ala. – The No. 5 Loyola Wolf Pack got back in the win column Tuesday night, defeating Mobile 72-57 on the road. The win moves the Wolf Pack to 8-1 overall and 3-1 in Southern States Athletic Conference action.
The first six-plus minutes of the game stayed close with the lead changing three times. The Wolf Pack finally took a 10-8 lead after a Tensley Aldridge basket, then they took a 17-13 lead with 11:30 to play in the half after another score from Aldridge. Mobile made a 3-pointer to cut the Loyola lead to 1, but the Wolf Pack held the Rams to 0-of-9 shooting over the next six and a half minutes while on a 13-0 run.
Trailing the Pack 30-16, Mobile cut Loyola's lead to 9 by halftime, as the two teams played evenly in the final four minutes. Terry Smith Jr., Eddie Burgess and Aldridge all made free throws down the stretch to take a 37-29 advantage at halftime.
Loyola pushed its lead to 13 four minutes into the second half. Zach Wrightsil showed off his effort on the offensive glass with two boards, finding the bottom of the basket on his third try, putting the Wolf Pack up 44-31. The Rams cut Loyola's lead to 44-35 a minute later, but the Pack pushed their advantage back out to double figures with 12 minutes left. Myles Burns got one to go off the glass and Terry Smith Jr. scored three times in a four-minute span to make it a 52-39 game.
Wrightsil continued the run, making a fadeaway shot at the end of the shot clock to push the lead to 54-39, then Burns made it 56-39 on the next possession. That made it 10 straight points for Loyola with 10 minutes to play. Aldridge extended the margin to 19 points with five quick points, and the Rams couldn't get to within 13 points for the rest of the game.
The Wolf Pack welcomes Stillman College to The Den this weekend, hosting the Tigers Friday night at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 5 p.m.
Wolf Pack Head Coach Stacy Hollowell
"We definitely had some concern coming into this game with six of our guys out and three recently returning to practice. Tensley Aldridge just returned yesterday and had a really nice game for us. Our guys competed hard and defended as a group. This was probably our most complete defensive effort of the year. Mobile is not an easy team to prepare for. They are really well-coached, they have shooters everywhere, and RJ Kelly is one of the top players in our league."
Pack Facts
Tensley Aldridge scored a season-high 17 points, which was the most in a game for the junior since he scored his career-high 23 points on Nov. 18, 2019 against Dillard.
Zach Wrightsil recorded his third double-double of the season and the 31st of his career with 15 points and 13 rebounds, which ties a season-high on the boards.
Myles Burns scored 11 points and had 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season and the 31st of his career.
Terry Smith Jr. also scored in double figures, adding 12 points and seven rebounds. It's the sixth time this season the senior has 10 or more points in a game.
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.
