HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Loyola Wolf Pack men's basketball team trailed for most of Saturday's Southern States Athletic Conference matchup with William Carey (Miss.), but the Pack led when the clock hit zero, 81-75. Loyola improved its overall record to 6-2 and is now 1-0 in SSAC play after winning its opener over the Crusaders on Saturday.
Loyola will take a break from conference play when it hosts Dillard in The Den on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Free throws by Kameron Johnson and a dunk by Zachary Lee weren't enough for the Wolf Pack early in the first half, as the Crusaders built a quick 10-4 lead. Kosta Bjelicic scored his first points, and Johnson got his first field goal, but William Carey led 17-8 after five minutes of play. After WCU missed its first shot, the hosts went 7-for-7 from the field during that early stretch.
Eain Mowat made all five of his 3-point shot attempts in the game, and the first came at that moment of the game. Jaylen Peters made back-to-back shots to get Loyola within one, 19-18, and another score by the sophomore, again, cut it to one, 21-20, near the 10-minute mark. Mowat put the Wolf Pack ahead briefly after that, however, a quick 9-0 run for William Carey pushed its lead back out to eight, 30-22, with less than seven minutes until halftime. Mowat hit two more 3s before the break, making it a 40-34 Crusaders lead at the half.
Bjelicic and Johnson got the scoring started for Loyola in the second half, and Mowat nailed two more 3s to tie the game at 46-46 five minutes into the new period. Johnson got the game tied again at 48, and a free throw by Lee put the Pack on top, 49-48. Another run for WCU, this time a 12-2 spree, pushed its advantage out to nine, 60-41, with less than 12 minutes left in the game.
That's when the Wolf Pack got hot. They doubled up William Carey in points, 30-15, in the final 10-plus minutes, making 11-for-14 shots to earn the win. Johnson got the scoring going for Loyola, as he led the team with seven points during that stretch. Leonard Jackson's first points and two made shots by Peters cut the deficit to three, 72-69, but William Carey held off Loyola for the time being by extending its lead back out to eight, 69-61, at the seven-minute mark.
From there, it was a 20-6 run for Loyola to close the game, started by a 3-pointer from Johnson. A 3 by Cameron Williams tied it, 69-69, and a score by Bjelicic put Loyola on top, 71-69, with less than four minutes to go. Two free throws by Lee broke another tie, and a made bucket from Peters gave the Wolf Pack the lead for good, 75-73. Free throws by Johnson and Lee iced the game.
Pack Facts
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Eain Mowat led all scorers with 19 points, and he was a perfect 5-of-5 from behind the three-point line.
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Kameron Johnson poured in 17 points, leading the team with four assists as well.
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Zachary Lee and Kosta Bjelicic nearly had identical stat lines—both put up 13 points, five rebounds, three steals, and a block. Bjelicic also added a pair of steals.
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Off the bench in just 17 minutes, Jaylen Peters went 6-of-7 from the field for 12 points, plus four rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
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