Box Score After beating Florida College on Saturday, the Loyola Wolf Pack advanced to the Round of 16 of the NAIA National Championship
NEW ORLEANS – After it was all said and done on Saturday, the top-seeded Loyola Wolf Pack got to cut down their second net of the season. For the second straight game in the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship Opening Round, presented by Ballogy, the Wolf Pack handled their opponent, defeating No. 9-seed Florida College, 106-75, at Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse.
The win sends the Pack to the Round of 16 in Kansas City, Missouri, which is the final site of the national tournament. The final four rounds will be played at Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, and Loyola's first opponent is a familiar one - No. 4-seed Faulkner, and the two Southern States Athletic Conference teams will tip-off at 3 p.m.
Saturday's start couldn't have been any better for Loyola, jumping out to a quick 15-0 lead through the first four minutes. Terry Smith Jr. scored in the first 15 seconds, and that was followed by a 3-pointer by Zach Wrightsil a minute later. Brandon Davis made it 7-0 with a made shot, and he stole a pass that allowed Wrightsil to score, 9-0. Smith scored again, 11-0, then Myles Burns got on the board and Davis scored again to bring the lead to 15-0. Florida College, though, scored the next eight points, but that ended with a Jalen Galloway 3-pointer, 18-8, with 13 minutes left in the half.
Andrew Fava and Zach Muller each made 3s of their own a few minutes later, and another 3 by Davis at the eight-minute mark extended the advantage to 33-16. Wrightsil scored six points down the stretch for Loyola, but the Falcons were still able to get back to within single digits by halftime, 46-37.
Fava started the second half with a 3 in the first 30 seconds, and Burns added two made shots after that to make a 10-point lead, 53-43, with two and a half minutes into the period. Both Davis and Burns hit 3s during the next couple of minutes to continue the hot-shooting, and Muller and Galloway each made field goals to push the score to 65-49. The Pack made it a 20-point game twice in the next couple of minutes, using scores by Burns and Davis to do so, 78-58, with 11:27 to play. Cameron Dumas wanted in on the action as well, making his only 3-point attempt of the game 30 seconds later, 81-58.
Florida College was able to cut the deficit to 14 near the nine-minute mark, but the Pack used a 24-8 run to close the game out in dominant fashion.
Pack Facts
Five players scored in double figures for the Wolf Pack: Zach Wrightsil (20), Myles Burns (19), Brandon Davis (19), Terry Smith Jr. (11), and Zach Muller (10)
Wrightsil posted his 11th double-double of the season, and the 47th of his career, with 10 total rebounds. He also moved up in Loyola's record book in the process.
The Prosper, Texas native now has the third-most points and rebounds in a single season in Loyola history. So far this season, Wrightsil has totaled 637 points and 296 boards.
Davis also recorded a double-double, his first of the season, adding a career-high 11 assists, six steals, and five rebounds to his 19 points.
Burns finished with seven rebounds and five steals, bringing him to 275 rebounds and 136 steals on the season. That's the fifth-most rebounds in a season in Loyola history.
The Southern States Athletic Conference record for most steals by a player in a season is 137. Burns needs just two more takeaways to break that record.
Andrew Fava knocked down three 3-pointers, bringing his season total to 84. That's the fifth-most in a season in Loyola history.
Davis also moved up on the Wolf Pack single-season threes list, after he hit four triples to bring his season total to 80. That's seventh-most for a season in Loyola's record book.
Cameron Dumas came off the bench for one of his best games of the season, scoring seven points with five assists. It's the fifth game this season in which Dumas has totaled at least five dimes.
NAIA Opening Round: New Orleans Bracket
Friday, March 11:
Game 1 | #9 Florida College def. #8 Evangel (Mo.), 75-72
Game 2 | #1 Loyola def. #16 Benedictine-Mesa (Ariz.), 119-82
Saturday, March 12:
Game 3 | 5 p.m. | #1 Loyola def. #9 Florida College, 106-75
All times local (CST)
Winner of Game 3 advances to the Round of 16 in Kansas City, Mo.
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