HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Crusaders weathered a late second-half rally from No. 16 Loyola on Saturday afternoon, pulling away down the stretch for a 91-80 victory over the Wolfpack.
William Carey came out firing, opening the game with a 6-0 run. Loyola quickly responded with eight consecutive points to erase the deficit and take a two-point lead with 16 minutes remaining in the half. The next several minutes featured a tightly contested battle, with multiple lead changes and ties as neither team built a lead larger than four points.
With the game tied at 28-28,
Arzika Seibou and
Malik Franklin sparked a decisive Crusader run. The duo combined for eight points over a two-minute stretch while the Carey defense limited Loyola to just two points, helping WCU build a 36-30 advantage.
Jamarion Smith and Franklin continued to fuel the offense, and a
David Combest jumper with less than five minutes remaining pushed the Crusader lead to 45-30. William Carey maintained its double-digit advantage for the remainder of the half, taking a 54-44 lead into the locker room despite a late push from the Wolfpack.
Both teams opened the second half at a fast pace as Loyola gradually chipped away at Carey's lead. Through the first six minutes, the Crusaders answered every Wolfpack rally to maintain control. However, Loyola continued its comeback and pulled within two points, 66-64, on a Markuss Sipko three-pointer with 12 minutes left to play.
Carey responded by stretching the lead back to seven on baskets from
Troy Dunn and Smith, but Loyola refused to go away. The Wolfpack eventually grabbed a 77-76 lead with six minutes remaining, setting up a tense finish.
The Crusaders responded immediately.
Dwight Brown and Franklin combined to put Carey back in front, and the momentum shifted permanently in the home team's favor. Over the final three minutes, William Carey closed the game on an 11-3 run while forcing multiple turnovers and keeping the Loyola offense off balance to secure the 91-80 victory.
Dunn led the Crusaders with 20 points, while Franklin added 14. Smith finished with 13 points, and
Grace Aluma contributed 12 points in the winning effort.
William Carey returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 17, when the Crusaders travel to face LSU-Alexandria in non-conference play. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Alexandria, Louisiana.
