NEW ORLEANS  – The Loyola Wolf Pack made the short trip to Dillard University on Sunday to take on their cross-town rival. The Pack hung tough but dropped their second game of the season in a 70-64 loss to the Bleu Devils to split the season series. 
 

Loyola (9-2, 4-0 in SSAC) will return to Southern States Athletic Conference play on Saturday, hosting Middle Georgia State for a 2 p.m. matchup. It'll be the first of two SSAC contests left on the schedule until the new year, as Loyola will also host Brewton-Parker College on Monday at 2 p.m. 
 

Michael Harden got things going for the Wolf Pack with an early 3-pointer, but Dillard was able to jump ahead 9-3 through the first four-plus minutes of the game. Blake Burkey ended the drought with three 3s in two minutes to flip the lead, 12-11, then the team's fifth 3-pointer, this time from Leonard Jackson, made it a 16-15 DU lead. 
 

Jalen Galloway got on the board with consecutive buckets to switch the lead again, 19-16, but again, the Bleu Devils were able to get back on top with a 7-0 run, 22-19, with less than three minutes until halftime. Galloway scored three more points and Jackson added two free throws to help send Loyola into the break with a slim 27-26 advantage. 
 

Jackson started the second half with a 3-pointer, but Dillard used another run, this time a 10-0 spurt, to push ahead 36-29 around the 14-minute mark. DU maintained the lead through the rest of the game, but the Wolf Pack didn't go away. Alex Hammond scored four points to keep it close, 39-33, then a 3-pointer from Galloway allowed Loyola to stay in it, 47-36, with 10 minutes left. 
 

The Bleu Devils held the double-digit lead for the next five minutes until two Harden free throws made it a nine-point game, 57-48. Scores by Jackson and Harden made things interesting, and a score by Milan Mejia in the final two minutes brought the deficit to five, 63-58. However, Dillard was able to hold on by going 7-for-7 from the charity stripe down the stretch. 
 

Pack Facts
 

• Blake Burkey finished with a career-high 17 points, his first game in double figures, after starting the game a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range.

• Jalen Galloway led all scorers with 22 points. He also had a game-high seven rebounds.

• Michael Harden was third on the Wolf Pack with 10 points, followed by Leonard Jackson's nine. 
   

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.