LAFAYETTE, La. – The Loyola Wolf Pack men's basketball team played their only exhibition against an NCAA Division I team on Monday, taking a loss to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, 78-54. Loyola (2-4, 1-0 in SSAC) will now travel to Point University (Ga.) and Thomas University (Ga.) on Thursday and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CST and 1 p.m. CST, respectively, in Southern States Athletic Conference action.
The Wolf Pack started the game well, jumping out to a 6-1 lead through the first three minutes of action. In fact, Loyola held UL 0-for-7 from the floor in the first three-and-a-half minutes, as Eddie Burgess, Zachary Lee and Braelee Albert all scored for the Pack. Albert kept Loyola ahead, 7-6, at the 14:36 mark, but the Ragin' Cajuns started to get hot after that. They used a 15-1 run to gain a 16-7 advantage before extending their lead to 31-13 with eight minutes left in the first half.
Kameron Johnson and Milan Mejia both made 3s, and free throws by Lee allowed Loyola to stay in the game, 34-19, but Louisiana closed the first 20 minutes of play by shooting 21-of-26 to take a 49-25 lead into the locker room.
Lee scored six quick points to start the second half, along with a score by Burgess and a 3-pointer by Mejia to make it a 20-point deficit, 56-36, through the first six minutes. Mejia scored five more points, including another 3, as well as free throws by Johnson and Leonard Jackson, to keep the deficit around the same, 66-45, with eight minutes to go.
Loyola went scoreless for the next few minutes, but UL only added to its lead by two points during that time. Julian Baldwin and Cameron Williams ended the drought with consecutive scores, 71-49, but the Ragin' Cajuns proved to be too much. Evan Savoy and Cayden Branch both scored for the Wolf Pack in the closing minute.
Pack Facts
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Milan Mejia led the Pack with 15 points, shooting 4-of-10 from the three-point arc.
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Zach Lee was second on the team with 10 points, leading Loyola with nine rebounds, two steals, and three assists as well.
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