Men’s basketball wins fifth straight

PULASKI, Tenn. – The Loyola Wolf Pack men's basketball team won its fifth consecutive game Saturday, riding a big second half to down the Tennessee Southern Firehawks 75-54. It was also the third conference win in a row for the Pack, who remained undefeated in conference play.

Loyola (9-2, 3-0 SSAC) now begins a four-game home stand that runs into the new year, starting with a 6 p.m. home matchup with the College of Biblical Studies on Tuesday, December 16. 

While the final score was a 21-point margin, the first half was a back-and-forth affair in Pulaski. The Firehawks struck first with a three-pointer, and they led 3-0 until over two minutes into the game, when Kosta Bjelicic got a layup to go. That layup and another from Kameron Johnson were Loyola's only points in the first five minutes of the game, but then a three-point barrage saw the Pack go up 16-9 midway through the first half. Zachary Lee grabbed the lead with his first triple, then Johnson hit one, and Eain Mowat nailed his first two attempts from deep, with Leonard Jackson getting one a few minutes later. 

Jackson added four more points in the remaining six minutes of the half as Loyola went into the break with a 28-25 advantage. 

Lee and Cameron Williams combined for the first five points of the second half while the Firehawks continued to keep things close, cutting the deficit to 34-33 with 16:27 remaining. Loyola then rattled off 13 straight points, with Bjelicic, Johnson, Lee, Jackson, and Mowat all finding the basket. Mowat's third triple of the game made it a 50-35 game with less than nine minutes to go. 

From there, the Wolf Pack's lead never dipped below double digits.

Pack Facts

• Kameron Johnson posted game highs in points (17), assists (8), and steals (4) while also grabbing five rebounds. 

• Leonard Jackson had his best scoring game of the season, putting up 15 points and a team-high six rebounds. 

• Eain Mowat went 4-for-8 from long range, finishing with 14 points. This was his third game of the season making four or more three-pointers.

• Zachary Lee also had 14 points, going a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line.

• Johnson, Jackson, Mowat, and Lee combined to go 10-for-18 from beyond the arc, with each making at least two triples. 

• As a team, Loyola shot 19-for-22 at the free throw line against the Firehawks, marking the Pack's best team free throw percentage (86.4) in a game this season.