TALLADEGA, Ala. – Following the Loyola Wolf Pack's big win in The Den versus Faulkner on Thursday, Loyola traveled to the Dr. Billy C. Hawkins Student Activity Center to take on the Talladega Tornadoes in another SSAC matchup. With seven-straight wins against Talladega going back to 2009, the Pack extended that to eight straight with a 63-59 decision on Saturday. 
 

In the next matchup, the Pack plays another SSAC opponent in Stillman College on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 7:30 p.m. in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at the Birthright Alumni Hall.
 

Kicking off the first half, Milan Mejia drained a 3-pointer following a pass from Jalen Galloway. Two layups by Talladega made the score 4-3, but a Michael Harden runner put the Pack back up 5-4. The Tornadoes stalled the Loyola offense and put up some points of their own, leading Loyola 15-5. Needing to fight back, the Pack found ways to make plays. A block by Matthew Mondesir and a 3-pointer from Leonard Jackson made the score 18-11. A pass from Zach Muller into a 3-pointer from Alex Hammond made the score 20-14. Talladega stretched their lead back to eight, but a Hammond jumper put it back to six. 
 

The Talladega lead remained at six until an offensive rebound and a layup from Zach Muller made it 27-23 with 2:35 left in the first half. After a Talladega timeout, a steal and a layup from Mondesir made it 27-25. The Pack put an exclamation point at the end of the first half with a Michael Harden 3-pointer following a pass from Zach Muller, putting Loyola up 28-27 with 30 seconds remaining. 
 

After ending the first half with a bang, the Pack looked to keep the momentum going into the second half. They did so by getting five quick points from Harden, 33-29, and a 3-pointer from Mejia, 38-33, in the first four minutes. A Mondesir score and a 3-pointer by Galloway made it a 10-point lead, 43-33, but Talladega cut the score back down to five at the 12:25 mark. Alex Hammond and Bradley Alcime extended the advantage back out to double digits, though, at the halfway point of the second half. 
 

Mejia drained another 3-pointer to keep the Tornadoes at bay, 54-45, and a 3-pointer by Jackson two minutes later kept the momentum on Loyola's side, 59-47, with six minutes to go. The Tornadoes, however, made a late push in the final few minutes, outscoring Loyola 12-4 the rest of the way. Holding a slim 61-56 lead, Galloway scored in the final minutes to make it a seven-point ballgame to effectively put the game away. 
 

Pack Facts

• Loyola was led in scoring by Matthew Mondesir, who posted a stat line of 12 points, three assists, three rebounds, a steal and a block. 

• Mondesir, Michael Harden, and Zach Muller tied for the team lead with three assists apiece. 

• Muller and Jalen Galloway each pulled down six rebounds, a team high. 

• Galloway scored nine points, third on the team, while Harden and Alex Hammond each had eight points.

• Milan Mejia led the team in three-point shooting, going 3-of-7 from deep to finish with 11 points.

• Mejia, Leonard Jackson, and Bradley Alcime each grabbed two steals. In total, the Wolf Pack had 10 steals. It's the 11th time this season in which Loyola recorded double-digit takeaways.

• All eight Wolf Pack players who earned minutes also scored on Saturday. 

• Loyola is now 14-1 all-time against Talladega, with a current eight-game winning streak. The program has not lost to the Tornadoes since January 17, 2002. 

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