Box Score The Loyola Wolf Pack bounced back from a tough loss Friday to close out the regular season with a road win at Stillman Saturday
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The 16th-ranked Loyola University New Orleans men's basketball team earned a Top 25 road win Saturday, defeating No. 15 Stillman College 81-72 in both team's season finale. Loyola finished the regular season with an 11-4 overall record and a 6-4 mark in Southern States Athletic Conference play.
The Wolf Pack's sights are now set on the SSAC tournament next week, playing Florida College in a first-round matchup Thursday at 9:45 p.m.
Loyola and the Tigers matched each other through the first eight minutes of the game, as two 3-pointers from Milan Mejia and another 3 from Myles Burns helped Loyola tie the game 16-16. Zach Wrightsil had five of those 16 points for Loyola, but Stillman pushed ahead after that and led for the next 10 minutes of game time. Trailing by as much as seven points, Mejia got another 3-pointer to go to regain the lead, 32-31.
Burns scored seven points during the final stretch of the first half to help keep Loyola in the game, but the Tigers went into the break with a 33-32 advantage.
Stillman led for the majority of the second half, but the game saw four ties in the first six-plus minutes of the half. Burns, Wrightsil and Zach Muller combined to score the first 14 points for Loyola, as Burns hit two 3-pointers during that span, then Mejia made a 3 to tie the game 49-49.
The Tigers pulled back ahead for the next couple of minutes, but Burns scored twice and Tensley Aldridge drained two 3-pointers to help tie the game again, 63-63. Terry Smith Jr. converted an and-1 opportunity to put Loyola up for the first time in the half, and after the game's eighth tie, 68-68, Wrightsil gave Loyola the lead for good 70-68 with 3:28 left in the game. Smith added another bucket and Andrew Fava made a 3-pointer, then Wrightsil and Fava closed out the game by going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
Wolf Pack Head Coach Stacy Hollowell
"Tonight's game was similar to last night's game. It was back and forth the whole way. (Andrew) Fava hit a big shot for us with about a minute left to put us up 5, then from that point on we just needed to make sure we secured the ball and hit free throws. Stillman is really talented and to win a game at their place is no small task. I'm really proud of our group."
Pack Facts
Zach Wrightsil logged his fourth double-double of the season and the 32nd of his career with 17 points and 13 rebounds, He also blocked three shots.
Wrightsil's 17 points gave him 1,349 points in his career, which moves the junior to 15th all-time in program history.
Myles Burns led all scorers with 22 points for his fourth 20-point-plus game of the season. He also contributed eight rebounds, two steals, and a block.
Milan Mejia knocked down four of his seven 3-point shots en route to a career-high 12 points.
As a team, Loyola went 10-for-19 from 3-point land, their highest percentage from deep this season.
