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3.7.23_MBB vs SAGU 1st Round
82
Winner SAGU SAGU 21-10, 14-8
71
Loyola LOYOLA 24-7, 16-4
Winner
SAGU SAGU
21-10, 14-8
82
Final
71
Loyola LOYOLA
24-7, 16-4
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
SAGU SAGU 33 49 82
Loyola LOYOLA 29 42 71

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Reece Becker

Men’s basketball upset in first round of NAIA tournament

No. 3-seed Loyola suffered a tough loss in The Den on Tuesday, ending its 24-win season

NEW ORLEANS – The third-seeded Loyola Wolf Pack men's basketball team experienced a first round of the NAIA National Championship tournament on Tuesday, losing to No. 14-seed SAGU in The Den, 82-71. 
 

The defending NAIA National Champions finished the season 24-7 overall. 
 

In the first half, the Lions started things off, taking a 5-0 lead to start the game. A Milan Mejia 3, along with a Jalen Galloway jumper tied the game, but SAGU kept the ball rolling. With 15 minutes left in the half, the Lions had taken a 16-7 lead. At the midway point of the half, SAGU had taken a 10-point lead, 21-11. With five minutes until halftime, a Mejia 3 and a Harden steal and layup put the SAGU lead at six, 26-20. On the last possession of the first half, a Galloway trey, assisted by Matthew Mondesir, put the Lion lead at four, 33-29. 
 

The Wolf Pack kept their momentum going into the second half, reducing the Lion lead to three with a Mejia triple. The teams traded shots with the Pack continuing to keep pace with SAGU. With just under 11 minutes left in the second half, Zach Muller scored to make the score 51-50. Bradley Alcime tied the game with a free throw at 51-51, but SAGU drilled a 3-pointer to keep their lead. Loyola tied it up at 54-54 with an and-1 from Leonard Jackson. Once again, Alex Hammond tied the game at 56-56 with 8:43 left in the game. 
 

Then, Jalen Galloway gave the Pack their first lead of the game with a jumper assisted by Alex Hammond. After SAGU tied it back up, the Pack went back up two with 7:32 on the clock, and two made free throws from Hammond extended the Loyola lead, 62-58. Matthew Mondesir continued to put his stamp on the tournament match, getting a putback after a missed 3 to take the lead with 4:30 left, 64-62. With just under three minutes left, though, SAGU had taken back their lead and made the score 68-65 with a mid-range shot. With 58 seconds left on the clock, the Lions had a 74-68 lead and they made enough free throws to ice the game. 
 

Tournament Schedule

Tuesday, Mar. 7 at The Den
Game 1: #6 Tougaloo def. #11 Texas A&M Texarkana, 75-65
Game 2: #14 SAGU def. #3 Loyola, 82-71
 

Wednesday, Mar. 8 at The Den
Game 3: #14 SAGU vs. #6 Tougaloo
 

Pack Facts

  • In his first year as head coach of the Wolf Pack, Donald Reyes led the Wolf Pack to a 24-7 record. Loyola's 24 wins are tied for the second-most wins in a season in program history with the 1944-45 National Championship team. 

  • Alex Hammond had a career game, with his 16 points and five assists both being the freshman's season highs. 

  • Michael Harden grabbed a team-high three steals against SAGU. He finished the season with 61 total steals, which is the eighth-most in a season in program history. 

  • Harden will also be in the record book for most free throws made in a game, when he went 19-for-20 in a win against Stillman at home on Jan. 14. 

  • Jalen Galloway finished with 14 points, giving him 532 this season, which is the 15th-most in a season in Loyola history. 

  • Galloway ends his career with 1,488 total points in five years, including 791 scored at Loyola. 

  • Matthew Mondesir led the team in rebounds (8) and assists (5) while scoring 12 points. Milan Mejia also had 12 points, all of which came on three-pointers. 

 

You can 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.

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