TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Loyola Wolf Pack went on the road on Monday to play Stillman College, losing a tough back-and-forth contest to the Tigers, 96-84. Loyola (4-8, 3-2 in SSAC) will next play an exhibition against NCAA Division I Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 30 before returning to Southern States Athletic Conference play on Jan. 3.
Stillman scored the first six points of the game, but three early 3-pointers by the Wolf Pack trimmed Stillman's lead to 14-13 four minutes into the contest. Kameron Johnson made two of those and Alex Hammond got one, as the two combined for 11 of those 13 points. The Tigers, however, extended their lead to 31-17 with a little more than 10 minutes to play in the first half.
Brody Adams scored six straight points over a three-minute span, and Leonard Jackson made a 3-pointer, as the Wolf Pack cut into the deficit again, 33-26, with eight minutes until halftime. Five points from Braelee Albert kept Loyola in the game, 40-32, with 3:30 on the clock, and Hammond made it a six-point game a minute later. That started a quick 10-0 run for the Wolf Pack to get within two, 40-38, as Zachary Lee scored his first points and Albert made two more free throws. Albert would cap off an impressive end to his first half with a 3-pointer, and Milan Mejia made a technical free throw to bring Stillman's lead to 44-42 by halftime.
The early going of the second half featured back-and-forth play with six ties through the first seven-plus minutes. Bradley Alcime and Cameron Williams each scored early, Eddie Burgess had four points, and Jackson and Mejia combined for three 3-pointers to bring the score to a 59-59 tie. When Loyola took a 53-51 lead, it was the first lead for the visitors, and Hammond made it a three-point advantage, 62-59, at the 12:10 mark.
The back-and-forth play continued, though, with two more ties and three lead changes to get to a 73-70 Stillman lead. Mejia and Albert hit back-to-back 3s, but the Tigers went on an 11-2 run to take a 77-70 lead with six minutes to play. After SC built a 10-point lead, 82-72, Mejia kept Loyola in it with a 3, 82-75, but Stillman continued to add to its lead on its way to the win.
Pack Facts
-
Braelee Albert had his best scoring output of the season with 15 points, plus a team-high six rebounds and two steals.
-
Alex Hammond put in 13 points while dishing out a team-high five assists.
-
Milan Mejia was also in double figures with 11 points, making 3-of-7 from three-point range.
-
Leonard Jackson also made three triples, going 3-of-5 from distance.
-
Overall, the Pack knocked down 11 threes, marking a new season high.
-
Brody Adams scored his first points of the season, going 3-of-3 from the field for six points in three minutes.
Subscribe to Pack Tracks, a Loyola Athletics Newsletter, for all of the latest information >> https://loyolawolfpack.com/subscribe.aspx. You can also keep up with the Pack by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.
