Box Score Senior Zach Wrightsil became the all-time leading scorer in Loyola Wolf Pack history, helping Loyola to an 11-point over the Dalton State Roadrunners
NEW ORLEANS – Thursday's matchup with Dalton State counted the same as any other game would towards the win-loss record, but for the team, the Loyola Wolf Pack fans and senior Zach Wrightsil, Thursday's game was a celebration. With his fourth point of the night, Wrightsil became the all-time leading scorer in Wolf Pack men's basketball history, totaling 1,856 through his four-year career. There was a brief stoppage of play to honor Wrightsil, as Brian Lumar, who held the record since 1996, presented the senior with the game ball.
The No. 2-ranked Loyola Wolf Pack men's basketball team took down Dalton State, 91-80, in The Den on Thursday, improving their record to 23-1 overall and 12-1 in the Southern States Athletic Conference. The win means Loyola a half-game back of first-place No. 5 Talladega, and the two teams are set to square off Saturday at 2 p.m. in The Den.
Wrightsil was quick to get on the board with three points after an old-fashioned 3-point play, but the Roadrunners raced out to a 21-9 lead in the first eight minutes of the game. Brandon Davis ended the drought with a pair of free throws, then Terry Smith Jr. made it a 10-point game with a bucket at the 10-minute mark, 23-13.
After a Dalton State turnover, Wrightsil received the ball near mid-court. The senior made a move past his defender, then drove to the hoop for the record-breaking basket. After the brief stoppage, Wrightsil hit a free throw to cut the score to 23-16. Wrightsil's points appeared to cut the tension, too, because the Wolf Pack went on a 27-16 run in the final nine and a half minutes to take a 43-39 lead at the break.
The game stayed close throughout the second half, as Dalton State was within a couple of possessions for the majority of the final 20 minutes. Myles Burns scored seven of the team's first 10 points to take a 53-46 advantage in the first two minutes, and Andrew Fava hit a 3 during that opening run, too. The Roadrunners cut Loyola's lead to two twice, but scores by Wrightsil, Burns, Davis and Josh Leaney pushed the lead back out to 10, 63-53, with 14 minutes to play. Davis hit a 3 moments later, then the sophomore made two free throws and scored another to give Loyola its largest lead of the game, 78-65, at the eight-minute mark.
The Roadrunners, though, used back-to-back 3-pointers to shrink the deficit to five with six minutes to play, but Davis answered with a 3-pointer less than a minute later. Davis, Wrightsil and Smith all scored down the stretch, and Wrightsil, Davis and Milan Mejia made free throws to ice the game for the Pack.
Pack Facts
Zach Wrightsil became Loyola's all-time leading scorer on a tough layup in the first half, passing Brian Lumar, who's held the record since 1996. Wrightsil is now at 1,856 total points for his career.
Wrightsil led the Wolf Pack in scoring with 27 points while also putting up 12 rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block. It's the sixth double-double of the season for Wrightsil and the 42nd of his career.
Myles Burns also recorded a double-double, his eighth of the season and 43rd of the season. Burns had 18 points and a team-high 12 rebounds to go along with four assists and a steal.
Brandon Davis was second in scoring with 23 points, including two threes. Davis led the team in two categories with nine assists and five steals. It's his second game in a row with nine dimes.
Terry Smith Jr. was the fourth player in double figures for the Wolf Pack, scoring 10 points while shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the field. Smith also swatted away two shots, and he's now eighth in the Loyola record book with 63 total blocks in his career.
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