William Carey answered a late Loyola surge with an 11-3 run in the final three minutes Saturday, earning a 91-80 win over the No. 16 Wolfpack in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Loyola took a 77-76 lead with six minutes left, but Dwight Brown and Malik Franklin helped put the Crusaders back in front. Carey forced turnovers and disrupted the Wolfpack offense during its closing run.
The teams traded leads early before Carey pulled ahead late in the first half. Arzika Seibou and Franklin combined for eight points during a two-minute stretch after the score was tied at 28, while the Crusaders held Loyola to two points. David Combest’s jumper later pushed Carey’s advantage to 45-30. The Crusaders led 54-44 at halftime.
Loyola steadily cut into the deficit after the break and got within 66-64 on a Markuss Sipko 3-pointer with 12 minutes remaining. Carey briefly rebuilt its lead, but the Wolfpack’s late rally set up the close finish.
Troy Dunn scored 20 points for William Carey. Franklin had 14, Jamarion Smith scored 13 and Grace Aluma added 12.
The Crusaders’ schedule listed a nonconference game at LSU-Alexandria for Tuesday, Nov. 17, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. in Alexandria, Louisiana.
