Wolf Pack takes down No. 19 Mobile

MOBILE, Ala. – For the second time in four days, the Loyola University New Orleans men's basketball has beaten a NAIA Top 25 team, this team taking down No. 19 Mobile, 72-70, on the road Tuesday night. The Wolf Pack beat No. 7 Tennessee Southern on Saturday, and they're now 9-17 overall and 8-11 in Southern States Athletic Conference play with one more game left in the regular season. 
 

Loyola will travel to William Carey on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip. 
 

Mobile started with 5-0 and 7-2 leads through the first four minutes, then it eventually pushed ahead 13-5 a couple of minutes later. Kameron Johnson and Milan Mejia hit a couple of early 3s, and Mejia tied it, 13-13, with another 3-pointer with more than 11 minutes left until halftime. Bradley Alcime and Zachary Lee gave Loyola the lead, 17-13, as Loyola used a 15-6 run during six minutes of game time to take that lead at the halfway point of the first half. 
 

Leonard Jackson scored back-to-back buckets with the second coming after a Alex Hammond steal, 21-16, and Alcime and Braelee Albert kept the Pack ahead, 25-22, with five minutes on the clock. That Albert score was the first of six straight points, with Jackson and Julian Baldwin scoring as well, 29-22. A field goal by Lee and free throws by Baldwin sent Loyola into the locker room with a 33-32 advantage. 
 

Lee and Johnson got the Pack off to a good start in the second half with a couple of baskets, 37-32. Scores by Johnson and Baldwin held off a quick surge by the Rams, then Albert scored five, including a 3, to give Loyola a 46-38 lead after five minutes of play. Mejia hit another one from long-range a couple of minutes later, but Mobile trimmed its deficit to one, 51-50, with 11 and a half minutes to go before taking a 54-53 lead by the 10-minute mark. 
 

The Rams and the Wolf Pack exchanged the lead a couple of times over the next few minutes, and the hosts even took a 61-57 lead with less than six minutes remaining. Albert and Hammond got the game tied again, but again, Mobile went back ahead by multiple possessions, 67-63, with 2:45 left. 
 

A free throw and field goal by Hammond on separate trips down the floor got Loyola back to within one, then Mejia came through with another 3-pointer to flip the lead back to Loyola, 69-67, with under a minute to go. Albert pulled down a crucial offensive rebound on a free throw attempt then hit two from the charity stripe himself, 71-67, to help Loyola seal the win. 
 

Pack Facts

• Milan Mejia, who has scored at least 14 in eight consecutive games, led the Wolf Pack with 15 points, shooting 4-of-6 from three-point range. 

• Braelee Albert, who has also stepped up his play as of late, finished with 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds. 

• Zachary Lee was back in double figures for the first time since January 25 with 12 points against the Rams. He's now scored at least 10 in eight different games this year. 

• Leonard Jackson also hit double figures for the second consecutive game, putting up 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting. 

• Tuesday was one of Loyola's most efficient shooting nights of the season. The Wolf Pack finished 29-of-54 from the field for 53.7 percent, the second-best shooting percentage for the team this season. 

• Despite Mobile starting four different players listed at 6-6 or taller, the Wolf Pack won the points in the paint battle 32-16, doubling the Rams' total.

• With victories against the No. 7 Tennessee Southern and No. 19 Mobile within the last four days, this is Loyola's first time defeating ranked opponents since the 2022 NAIA National Championship tournament.