NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola University New Orleans men's basketball team started the 2023-24 season on a good note Thursday, defeating John Melvin University, 92-83, in The Den. The Wolf Pack will continue to play in New Orleans next week, traveling to Southern University at New Orleans next Thursday for a 7 p.m. first tip.
Everything was all good for the Wolf Pack through the first six minutes, as Milan Mejia scored nine early points to help give Loyola a 21-10 lead. The Pack went 2-for-2 from the 3-point line during that stretch, and Mejia hit one of them along with Leonard Jackson, who had the other 3. John Melvin, however, used a 14-3 run over the next three-plus minutes to tie the game 24-all at the halfway point of the first half.
The two teams battled in a one-possession game for the next couple of minutes. Alex Hammond, Kameron Johnson and Julian Baldwin all hit shots during that stretch, but the Millers were able to go ahead 39-35 with less than five minutes until halftime. John Melvin went cold, though, only getting a couple of free throws in the final 4:37, while Jackson scored Loyola's final six points of the half to bring the score to 41-41 by the break.
John Melvin took a brief lead during the first couple of minutes of the second half, but a 3-pointer by Zachary Lee tied the game, 46-46, less than three minutes into the final 20 minutes. Hammond hit back-to-back shots, as well as a free throw, to give the Pack a 51-49 advantage, Johnson nailed a 3 and a 2-point jumper to make it a 56-53 lead. Mejia extended that to a six-point lead with another 3-pointer after a steal, 59-53, and back-to-back made shots by Johnson and Hammond pushed that out to 10, 63-53, with less than 13 minutes left on the clock.
Loyola dominated the rest of the game, using a 20-12 run over the next eight minutes to nearly put the game out of reach, 83-67. Eight different Wolf Pack players scored during that stretch, too, including Noah Goines, Bradley Alcime and Cameron Williams. With three minutes left, Alcime brought down the house with a corner 3, 86-70, and the rest of the game was never in question.
Pack Facts
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Loyola has now won five consecutive season openers, and 10 home openers in a row.
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Milan Mejia led the Pack with 19 points on the night, going 3-of-5 from three-point range.
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Alex Hammond had a career night with 17 points, seven assists, and four steals, all of which were career highs.
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Freshman Kameron Johnson finished with 14 points, six assists, and two steals while connecting twice from long range.
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Leonard Jackson also was in double figures with 12 points, tying Mejia for a team high with six rebounds.
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Off the bench, Zachary Lee had eight points, five rebounds, three steals, and two assists.
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