NEW ORLEANS – The winning streak continues for the Loyola Wolf Pack men's basketball team, claiming their 24th straight win as a program and starting the season 3-0 after an 89-81 win over Southern University at New Orleans on Saturday. 
 

It was a night to remember, too, as the 2021-22 Men's Basketball National Championship banner was unveiled and the team received their championship rings in a celebration that involved Wolf Pack alumni. 
 

Loyola will now travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on Monday for an exhibition contest against Southern Miss at 7 p.m. The Pack will then begin Southern States Athletic Conference play with a road trip to Dalton State on Thursday. 
 

Loyola got off to a 2-for-8 shooting start that saw SUNO take an early 9-5 lead through the first five minutes. Michael Harden made two shots in a 30-second span to tie the game at nine, then a 3-pointer by Milan Mejia put Loyola ahead for the first time, 12-11. Brody Adams answered the Knights' regain of the lead with a score, and Harden and Blake Burkey made the score 18-15 by the first media timeout. 
 

SUNO scored six straight after the break, 21-18, but consecutive 3s by Mejia and Leonard Jackson put the Pack back on top, 25-21 with nine-plus minutes left until halftime. The two teams traded the lead a couple of times for the rest of the half, as Mejia and Jalen Galloway put Loyola ahead 31-30 with six minutes. SUNO, however, used a 16-5 over a five-minute span to jump ahead 10, 46-36, as the Knights went into the locker room with a 48-40 advantage. 
 

The first half featured four ties and eight lead changes. 
 

Galloway scored eight quick points in the first 90 seconds of the second half, two from beyond the arc, to cut the SUNO lead to 51-48, then Mejia made his fourth 3 of the game at the 17:38 mark to tie it up at 51. Galloway continued to dominate in the early going, driving hard for a lay-in to take a 53-51 advantage, and Zach Muller swished a 3, 56-51, to make it a 16-3 run to start the half. 
 

Galloway had 16 second-half points by the first media time out of the second half, 11:29, and the Wolf Pack led 67-62. Things continued for the senior, too, as he hit a 3 and slammed a dunk home on a fast-break to extend the advantage to 74-62 at the halfway point of the period. 
 

Loyola maintained the double-digit lead over the next eight minutes of game time, as Mejia led that effort with five points to bring the score to 87-77 with 1:40 to play. SUNO did make it an eight-point game, 87-79, in the final minute, but the Wolf Pack played keep-away during their possession to help secure the win. 

Pack Facts

• Jalen Galloway notched his second double-double in three games, putting up game highs with 25 points (10-19 FG) and 10 rebounds. He also contributed two steals, two blocks, and an assist. 

• Milan Mejia had a career night, going 8-for-11 from the field for 24 points. Mejia, who leads the team on three-point makes this season with 10, knocked down five of his seven attempts from long range against SUNO.

• Loyola had three other players score 10 points: Leonard Jackson, Alex Hammond, and Michael Harden. Hammond's 10 points were a season high for the freshman.

• Harden also dished out seven assists, as did Zach Muller. 

• Loyola is currently first in the NAIA in assists per game at 24.3. The Wolf Pack finished last season second in the country with 19.7 points per game. 

• With 10 steals against SUNO, Loyola has continued the streak of double-digit steal games to open the season. The team has six straight games with at least 10 steals dating back to last season. 

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.