Pack wins sixth straight over Faulkner

NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola Wolf Pack men's basketball team got back to their winning ways Thursday night, handing Faulkner University a 61-54 loss in The Den to open conference play. 
 

The Wolf Pack (2-2, 1-0 in SSAC) will now head to the Battle at the Beach in Panama City, Florida, for two games against non-conference competition. First, they'll play Texas A&M-Texarkana on Monday at 2 p.m. before a matchup with No. 25 Florida College on Tuesday at 11 a.m.
 

Faulkner led for most of the first half but Loyola stayed within striking distance by never falling behind by more than nine points. The Eagles scored the first seven points of the game through two minutes, but a made shot by Milan Mejia and a 3-pointer from Braelee Albert cut the early deficit down to 9-5. Back-to-back scores by Alex Hammond and Leonard Jackson tied the game, however, Faulkner would push its lead back out to six, 15-9, midway through the first half. 
 

Five quick points by Albert, including his second 3, cut it to 19-16, and a 3 by Kameron Johnson allowed the Pack to continue to hang close, 25-19, with less than five minutes remaining in the half. Mejia, Johnson and Hammond all scored one more time to make it a 28-25 Faulkner lead at the break. 
 

In the second half, the defense by both teams controlled the game. The Eagles continued to hold a single-digit lead with the Pack keeping the game close as the clock ran down. Eddie Burgess got in on the action with a jumper that cut the Eagle lead to four, 33-29. A triple from Hammond made it a one-point game, 33-32. Then, Hammond scored twice more to take the lead with 12 minutes remaining, 36-35.
 

Loyola held a lead for the next four-plus minutes of game time before Faulkner could tie at 43-all. The Eagles would go up by two, but Mejia nailed a 3-pointer with 5:15 on the clock to take a 46-45 advantage. After another tie, Hammond made four free throws to push the lead to four, 50-46, and another Mejia 3 kept Loyola ahead by five, 53-48, with three minutes left. Cameron Williams made two huge free throws, 55-50, as Faulkner was able to make it a one-point game with 40 seconds remaining. Loyola would miss a chance to extend its lead, but Mejia picked the pocket of the Eagle ball-handler and raced down the floor with an easy lay-in with less than two seconds on the clock. The Faulkner coach was called for two technical fouls, and Mejia drilled all four shots from the charity stripe to seal the win.
 

Pack Facts

• Alex Hammond led all players with 19 points and five assists. He's had at least 19 in three of the four games this season. He scored 13 of his points in the second half. 

• Milan Mejia had the second most points in the game with 16. 

• Loyola held Faulkner to 33.8 percent shooting for the game. The Eagles missed all 18 of their three-point attempts. 

• In his return to the court, Julian Baldwin led the team in blocks with two. 

• Braelee Albert had eight points in the first half, hitting the Pack's first two threes of the game. 

• Cameron Williams scored a season-high six points with four rebounds and an assist on his birthday. 

• Loyola has won its last six games against Faulkner. The teams are now tied 15-15 in the all-time series.

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