Loyola loses in overtime

MOBILE, Ala. – The Loyola University New Orleans men's basketball team went on the road Thursday evening, falling to Mobile in overtime, 86-79. The Wolf Pack is back in The Den on Monday to play Xavier at 7:30 p.m.
 

Mobile took an early lead, but scores by Cameron Williams, Milan Mejia and Alex Hammond kept Loyola within one, 7-6, through three minutes. Kameron Johnson scored twice, 14-10, then the sophomore hit a corner 3 to keep it a one-score game, 18-17. The lead flipped a couple of times, but Williams laid one in to put Loyola in front, 21-20, at the halfway point of the first half. 
 

Julian Baldwin scored five of his first-half seven points in a one-minute span, 26-26, but neither team made a field goal until Alex Hammond converted an old-fashioned 3-point play at the five-minute mark to make it a 30-29 Mobile lead. A combination of Leonard Jackson and Hammond tied the game, 33-33, in the final couple of minutes, and Mejia scored in the final minute to keep it a one-score ballgame at the break, 37-36. 
 

Jaylen Peters got the second half started with a highlight-reel put-back dunk, and the freshman scored again in the early going, 42-41, Mobile. Mejia and Hammond kept giving the Wolf Pack the lead, 49-48, and Johnson scored twice to stay up one, 53-52, with 12 minutes left in the game. That second score by Johnson started a 10-0 run for the Wolf Pack over the next three-plus minutes that made the score 61-52 near the nine-minute mark, prompting Mobile to call a timeout. Mejia hit a 3, Cameron Williams scored three and Baldwin added two more during that run. 
 

Mobile scored the next four points, however, that was answered with a deep 3-pointer and a steal-and-score from Mejia to keep Loyola ahead by 10, 66-56, with less than seven minutes to play. The Rams, though, used a 12-1 run over the next three and a half minutes of game time to regain the lead, 68-67, with 3:13 on the clock. After Jackson made a 2-point basket and Reece Seicshnaydre drilled a 3, Mobile answered with one from long range to keep it a one-point Loyola lead, 72-71, with two minutes remaining. With the score tied at 73-73 and under a minute and a half to play, Mobile couldn't convert on a couple of offensive tries, giving the Wolf Pack the ball with 41 seconds left. After Loyola missed their try, Seicshnaydre capitalized on a steal under the basket, 75-73, but Mobile found the bottom of the net with 2 seconds left to send the game to overtime. 
 

Mobile scored the first points of the extra period, then Hammond tied it after one minute of play, 77-77. Free throws by both teams brought Mobile to an 80-78 lead halfway through the frame, and two more from the charity stripe for the Rams gave the hosts a multi-possession lead, 82-78, at the two-minute mark. From there, Mobile was able to hold on to the win.  
 

Pack Facts

• Alex Hammond led the team with 15 points, adding four rebounds, three assists, and a steal. 

• Kameron Johnson picked up a new collegiate career high with 14 points, also leading the team with five assists Thursday. 

• Milan Mejia, who also had 14 points, became the sixth Wolf Pack player ever to make at least 200 3-pointers in a career. He hit two from long range on Thursday and now has 201 in his career.