Box Score Now 26-1 overall, the Loyola Wolf Pack men's basketball team has broken the program record for most wins in a season
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 2-ranked Loyola Wolf Pack men's basketball team played Stillman College for the second time in four days Thursday night, and again, the Wolf Pack edged the Tigers, 81-80. The Wolf Pack didn't need overtime as they did on Monday in The Den, and they're now 26-1 overall and 15-1 in the Southern States Athletic Conference.
The win also broke a 77-year-old record for most wins in a season, outdoing the 1944-45 Wolf Pack team that won the school's only NAIA National Championship. Loyola still holds a one-game lead over second-place Talladega in the SSAC standings, and the two will close out the regular season on Sunday at 3 p.m. But first, though, Loyola will travel to Blue Mountain College on Saturday for a 2 p.m. contest.
After Stillman scored the first four points of the first half, Myles Burns scored six of Loyola's first 10 points to help give the Wolf Pack an early 10-6 lead through the first four minutes of the game. Brandon Davis and Zach Muller each got on the board to keep the Pack up by six, 14-8, but the Tigers went on a 13-0 run to regain the lead, 22-14, more than halfway through the first half.
Terry Smith Jr. and Zach Wrightsil ended the Stillman streak, then Jalen Galloway hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to six, 26-20, near the seven-minute mark. Muller had a dunk in transition, then Burns cut it to two, 26-24, but Stillman scored seven of the game's next eight points to push its lead back out to eight, 33-25, with three minutes until halftime. Galloway then scored four straight for the Pack, but the two teams would trade baskets from there, as Loyola went into the break down 39-35.
The Tigers tried to hold on to their multi-possession lead in the early going of the second half, but nine points by Wrightsil in the first seven minutes helped tie the game, 50-50. A 3 by Stillman put it back ahead, however, back-to-back scores by Wrightsil and Andrew Fava gave the Pack their first lead of the half, 54-53, with 11 and a half to go. Starting with a 3 from Galloway, the two teams traded the lead five times before either could make more than one shot in a row.
Trailing by three with nine minutes left, Galloway hit two shots, the latter being a 3, to give the Wolf Pack another lead, 64-62, then he made another triple to switch the lead again, 67-65, moments later. Again, the teams went back and forth with the advantage, as baskets by Muller and Burns in a one-minute span put Loyola up 71-69 with four to go, then Davis and Muller answered more Stillman scores to keep exchanging the lead, 75-74.
With less than 60 seconds to go, Stillman hit two free throws to go back ahead, 78-77, but Muller scored off his own miss to make it a 79-78 Loyola advantage. After Stillman scored again, Loyola called a timeout with nine seconds on the clock, and Davis came out of the stoppage with a driving score, which would go on to be the game-winning basket. Wrightsil made sure the Tigers didn't get a clean look by blocking their last attempt as time expired.
Pack Facts
The Wolf Pack now own a 26-1 overall record, the most wins in a single season for the program ever. The previous record stood for over 75 years, as Loyola had 25 wins in the 1944-45 championship season.
Jalen Galloway has hit season highs in scoring in the last two games, both against Stillman. He had 15 points on Monday and 21 Thursday.
Zach Wrightsil also scored 21 points, and he's now entered the top 20 in single-season points in Loyola history. Wrightsil has tallied 498 points so far this year, good for 18th-most in a season in Loyola history.
Myles Burns (12) and Zach Muller (10) were the other double-figure scorers for Loyola on Thursday. Burns also led the team with three steals.
Brandon Davis stole the ball twice, and he's now at 59 total steals this season. That's the fifth-most steals in a single season in Loyola history. Wrightsil is now on that list, too, as he has 56 steals this season, seventh in program history.
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