Box Score The second-ranked Loyola Wolf Pack opened up Southern States Athletic Conference play with a 31-point victory at Middle Georgia State Thursday
COCHRAN, Ga. – The Loyola University New Orleans men's basketball team took care of business in its Southern States Athletic Conference opener at Middle Georgia State Thursday, earning a dominant 91-60 win. The No. 2 Wolf Pack moved to 6-0 overall with the victory, and they'll travel to Brewton Parker (1-8, 0-1 in SSAC) Saturday for a 1 p.m. CST tip.
Loyola outscored MGA 54-27 in the first half, quickly jumping up to a double-digit lead in the first eight minutes of the game. Myles Burns turned a defensive rebound into a bucket, then Jalen Galloway converted two 3-pointers to give the team a 10-6 lead four minutes into the game. Brandon Davis added a couple of 3s to make it 24-13 a couple of minutes later, and six straight points by Zach Wrightsil pushed the score to 30-13 at the 10-minute mark. It ended up being a 13-0 run for Loyola, as Cameron Dumas capped things off with a score, 32-13.
Andrew Fava made his first 3-point shot and Josh Leaney added three from beyond the arc, extending the Wolf Pack advantage to 52-20 with two minutes left in the half. Zach Muller added the half's final score, sending Loyola into the break with a 27-point lead.
Burns scored the first five points to start the second half for Loyola, and Dumas and Terry Smith Jr. combined for the next eight to hold a big lead, 67-39, with 14 minutes left. Burns' next basket made it a 30-point game less than a minute later, and back-to-back 3-pointers by Fava later in the half pushed the lead back out to 30, 87-57, with five minutes to play.
The Wolf Pack had 12 different players score in the contest, including nine in the second half.
Pack Facts
Myles Burns notched his first double-double of the season with a line of 13 points, 10 rebounds (seven offensive), and four assists.
Terry Smith Jr. finished with nine points and six rebounds. He's now 13th on Loyola's all-time scoring list with 1,392 points for his career.
Three more players scored in double figures for the Pack on Thursday, with Zach Wrightsil leading the way at 14 points. He was one point away from a double-double, adding nine boards.
Josh Leaney poured in 11 points, and he was a perfect 3-of-3 from long range.
Jalen Galloway recorded his first double-digit scoring night for the Pack. He added 10 points.
Overall, Loyola made 11 shots from behind the arc, including three from Andrew Fava and two from Brandon Davis. The team has made at least 10 triples in four games this season.
This is also the fourth game this season where the team has recorded double digits in steals.
The Wolf Pack assisted on 18 of 33 made baskets, led by five assists from Zach Muller, while shooting 50 percent from the field. It's the third time this season that Loyola has made at least half of its shots in a game.
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