Wolf Pack edged out by Xavier Monday night

NEW ORLEANS – In a closely-contested crosstown rivalry matchup, No. 22 Xavier hung on to defeat the Loyola Wolf Pack men's basketball team 72-68 Monday night. Loyola will be 1-2 heading into Thursday's conference opener against Faulkner. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. in The Den. 

Loyola got on the scoreboard first at the Convocation Center after Milan Mejia was knocked to the floor on a three-point attempt and hit two of the three resulting free throws. Xavier then scored eight of the next 10 points before back-to-back threes by Mejia and Alex Hammond allowed the Pack to retake the lead 10-8 at the 14:30 mark. 

A 9-2 scoring run by Xavier allowed for the home team to lead by five at 17-12, but Loyola came storming back, as Mejia and Cameron Williams both drew fouls on made shots and tied it up at 17-17. Bradley Alcime muscled his way to the basket for two, then Kameron Johnson sliced his way through the paint to set up Alcime for two more, and Loyola took its first lead since the opening minute at 21-10. 

Two free throws by Johnson gave Loyola its largest lead at 23-20, but XULA countered with an 8-0 run to regain the advantage. Mejia nailed another three and a few free throw makes kept the Pack in the game, but Xavier would hold a 35-31 lead at halftime. 

Xavier started half 2 with a quick bucket, matched by a Mejia three on the other end. The Gold Rush built a six-point lead again before Hammond got in the paint for consecutive makes, and another Alcime layup made it 43-40 Xavier at the 17:10 mark of the half. Both teams went cold shooting until the 13:53 mark, when Alcime sank two free throws to cut the deficit to one. 

Hammond continued to keep the Wolf Pack close with several makes at the stripe, and threes by Braelee Albert and Mejia gave the Pack a lead at 55-54, eight minutes to go. 

Loyola was not able to hold the lead for long, however, as XULA went back ahead at the 7-minute mark, and the Pack could never catch up as the Gold Rush hung on in a close one, 72-68. 

Pack Facts

• Alex Hammond set a new career best with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting, making eight shots at the stripe. 

• Hammond also grabbed a new career high in rebounds with nine. 

• Milan Mejia also scored 21 points, nailing 4-of-6 from beyond the three-point arc while grabbing six rebounds and blocking two shots. 

• It was the most points in a game for Mejia since Dec. 1, 2022, when he scored 22. 

• Bradley Alcime reached double figures in scoring for the second consecutive game, scoring 10 points in 17 minutes while adding three boards.