NEW ORLEANS, La. — In one of the most heart-pounding finishes of the season, William Carey men's basketball battled through 11 second-half lead changes and came out on top, edging Loyola 82–80 Monday night at The Den.
"This was a great basketball game between two really good teams," said Head Coach Steve Knight. "Anthony Robinson made the plays that we needed down the stretch and we did a good job defensively as well. Really proud of our guys and how they responded each time Loyola took the lead. Both teams played with great effort which is tough when you play 3 games in 5 days."
Carey shook off a slow start, finally getting rolling when
Anthony Robinson knocked down a jumper at 18:10. That shot opened the floodgates. Moments later,
Troy Dunn buried two free throws and fed
Jamar Jenkins for a left-wing three at 16:06 to give WCU its first lead at 9–8. From there, the Crusaders took off.
A blistering 17–5 run — capped by a
Javeon Gordon transition three — pushed the lead to 26–13. Carey controlled the pace for most of the half, but Loyola clawed back late behind Kosta Bjelicic and Kameron Johnson, trimming the lead to just one. Jenkins answered with a buzzer-beating baseline jumper to send WCU into the locker room ahead 42–39.
And then the real drama began.
The second half turned into a heavyweight fight. Every possession mattered. Every shot felt like a turning point.
Makeem Roberts got Carey rolling early with a jumper at 19:11, but the Wolfpack continued to counter. After Loyola briefly grabbed a 46–45 advantage, Robinson took over — hitting a pull-up jumper, knocking down free throws, and setting the tone for the Crusaders' attack.
Arzika Seibou muscled in a put-back to make it 50–48, and Carey kept punching back during a stretch filled with mini-runs from both sides. Dunn delivered a huge and-one at 12:15, and
Randarius Hughes followed with a put-back plus the foul to give WCU breathing room.
But Loyola refused to go away. A deep three by Zachary Lee put the Wolfpack up 70–68 with seven minutes left, only for Roberts to silence the home crowd with an immediate answer. From there, the tension only intensified.
With the game tied 73–73 inside four minutes, Robinson again rose to the moment — nailing a pull-up jumper, hitting the free throw, and giving Carey the edge. Loyola answered again, this time with another deep bomb from Lee.
As the clock dipped under two minutes, Dunn and Robinson delivered back-to-back scores to give WCU an 80–76 lead. Still, Loyola found a way to tie it at 80 with just 30 seconds left. With the game on the line. Robinson didn't hesitate. He attacked the lane, absorbed contact, and calmly buried two pressure-packed free throws to put Carey up 82–80.
The Crusaders still had to get one last stop — and they did. Loyola's final three-point attempt was contested perfectly, came up short, and Hughes secured the rebound as time expired, sealing a massive road victory.
Robinson led the charge with 16 points, followed by Dunn's 14 and Roberts' 13.
The Crusaders are back on the floor Thursday, January 29, traveling to Marietta, Ga., to battle Life University. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m.
