NEW ORLEANS – The Loyola University New Orleans men's basketball team got a much-needed win on Saturday, defeating William Carey, 78-67, in The Den. The win keeps Loyola one game out of first place in the Southern States Athletic Conference standings, as it sits 3-1 in league play and 4-7 overall.
Loyola will now travel to Stillman College on Monday, with that matchup set for 2 p.m. in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Loyola had to fight out of a 13-0 hole in the beginning of the game, but Leonard Jackson got the Wolf Pack going with three 3-pointers in a two-minute span. Milan Mejia and Jackson both scored tough field goals at the rim, and that was followed by a 3 by Braelee Albert to give Loyola a 16-15 lead with 12 minutes left in the first half. The lead flipped a couple more times, which was aided by field goals from Kameron Johnson and Julian Baldwin and a 3-pointer from Mejia.
Leading 25-22, a 3 by Albert gave the Pack their largest lead, but the Crusaders scored eight straight to go back up by two, 30-28, at the three-minute mark. Alex Hammond tied it and Cameron Williams extended the advantage with a 3, as Loyola went into the break with a slim 33-32 lead.
The second half continued to be a battle between the Wolf Pack and the Crusaders with five ties. William Carey climbed to a 10-point lead in the first four minutes of the final half, 44-34. With scores from Zachary Lee, Albert, Hammond, and Jackson, the Wolf Pack went on a 10-0 run to tie the game with 12 minutes left. With both teams in foul trouble, Loyola went 18 for 21 at the free throw line, scoring seven more at the stripe than William Carey.
With six minutes to go, Baldwin made two free throws to put in Pack in front, 57-56. After that, the Pack stretched the lead with nine points from Hammond and five free throws from Lee to help Loyola earn a 78-67 conference victory over William Carey.
Pack Facts
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After going down 13-0 at the start of the game, Loyola outscored William Carey 33-19 over the rest of the first half. In the second half, after Carey went ahead 44-34 five minutes in, the Pack again outscored the Crusaders 44-23 over the next 15 minutes.
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Leonard Jackson, who scored the Wolf Pack's first nine points of the game, finished with 20 points while shooting a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range.
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It was the most points in a game for Jackson since he scored 23 against Dillard on November 3, 2022.
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Alex Hammond scored in double figures for the fifth game in a row, pouring in 17 points, 13 of which came in the second half.
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Milan Mejia filled up the box score, putting up 12 points to go along with six steals, three blocks, two rebounds, and two assists. The six steals tied a career high, and he'd never previously had three blocks in a game.
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Zach Lee grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to go along with seven points. He also hit five free throws late to seal the win.
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Loyola's 18 assists were the most for the team this season. Kameron Johnson led the team in that category with seven dimes, while Hammond had four.
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Each of Loyola's men's and women's basketball teams scored 78 points in their wins Saturday.
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The Loyola men have now won seven in a row against the Crusaders.
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