NEW ORLEANS – The defending NAIA Men's Basketball National Champions Loyola Wolf Pack got their season started Friday night in The Den, defeating Clinton College 101-93 to continue the NAIA's longest winning steak of 22 straight victories. 
 

The win also marks the first win of the Donald Reyes era, and the Pack is next set to host Dillard on Thursday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m.
 

Milan Mejia got the season started with a 3-pointer in the first 20 seconds of the game, and the Wolf Pack took a quick 7-2 lead after two Matthew Mondesir free throws and a jumper by the graduate transfer a minute later. Jalen Galloway nailed another 3 a couple of minutes later, 12-7, then another score by the senior made it 16-11 at the 14-minute mark. Clinton College, however, went on a 14-6 run to jump ahead 25-22 with less than nine minutes until the half. 
 

Galloway started to take the game over, though. The Meridian, Idaho, native scored 23 first-half points to help take a nine-point lead into the locker room. Blake Burkey made his first career points as a Wolf Pack player, and Andrew Stagni gave the Pack a 31-27 lead with seven minutes to go in the first half. Galloway made another 3, 36-30, then another one made it a 39-24 advantage with four and a half left. Zachary Lee scored his first points in his collegiate debut, 43-38, and a put-back dunk by the freshman at the one-minute mark extend the lead to 48-39, the score the teams would go into the locker room with. 
 

Galloway picked up right where he left off with six quick points to start the second half, 43-54, but the Golden Bears stayed close, 55-47, with four free throws four minutes into the period. After Clinton got to within six, Zach Muller nailed a 3 at the 14:12 mark to push the lead back out to nine, which was followed up by another 3 by Mejia less than a minute later, to make it a 10-point game, 65-55. 
 

Galloway, Mejia and Mondesir each scored to keep it a 10-point lead at the halfway point, 73-63. From there, Loyola answered every Clinton College attempt to make it a game, including a 3-pointer from Mejia, 79-71, with eight minutes to go. Scores by Lee and Mejia made it an 87-77 game, as Galloway put the final touches on his masterpiece of a game with his 40th point coming off an and-1 opportunity, 99-88, with 40 seconds to go. 

Pack Facts

• Jalen Galloway went off in the season opener, collecting his first double-double as a member of the Wolf Pack while pouring in a career-high 40 points with 12 rebounds. 

• This was the first 40-point game for a Loyola player since Nick Parker scored 40 on Feb. 13, 2016. Galloway's previous career best was 32, scored in his freshman season at the College of Idaho. 

• Galloway and Matthew Mondesir both notched double-doubles in the first game of the season. Mondesir put up a stat line of 10 points, 12 boards, six assists, two steals, and a block. 

• Four Wolf Pack players were in double figures in scoring on Friday, including Galloway and Mondesir. Milan Mejia was second on the team with 16 points, knocking down three of his six attempts from deep, while Michael Harden picked up 12 points. 

• Harden also led the team in assists with eight. As a whole, the team dished out 27 assists on 35 made baskets, which is the fifth-most assists in an NAIA game so far this season. 

• While the teams had a similar number of turnovers on Friday, Loyola outscored Clinton College 28-11 in points off turnovers. 

• Loyola has earned a victory in each of the last four season openers. 

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.