NEW ORLEANS — William Carey’s men’s basketball team secured a narrow victory over Loyola 82-80 Monday night at The Den in New Orleans.
The game featured 11 second-half lead changes, with the Crusaders ultimately pulling ahead in the final moments. Head coach Steve Knight praised his team’s resilience, noting, “This was a great basketball game between two really good teams. Anthony Robinson made the plays that we needed down the stretch and we did a good job defensively as well.”
Carey overcame a slow start to take control early in the second half. After Robinson hit a jumper at 18:10, Troy Dunn added two free throws and assisted Jamar Jenkins on a three-pointer to give the Crusaders their first lead at 9-8. Carey then went on a 17-5 run, capped by a transition three from Javeon Gordon, extending their lead to 26-13. Loyola responded with a rally, trimming the deficit to one point at halftime, 42-39, after Jenkins’ buzzer-beating jumper.
The second half intensified into a back-and-forth battle. Loyola briefly took the lead at 46-45 before Robinson took over for Carey. He scored a pull-up jumper, made free throws, and helped set the tone for the Crusaders’ attack. Arzika Seibou added a put-back to keep Carey ahead, while Loyola fought back with mini-runs. Key plays included a three-point play from Dunn and a put-back plus foul from Randarius Hughes, giving Carey breathing room.
With seven minutes remaining, Loyola’s Zachary Lee hit a deep three to put the Wolfpack up 70-68. Roberts responded immediately for Carey. The game remained close, with Robinson hitting a jumper and free throw to give Carey an 73-73 tie with under four minutes left. Robinson then sank two free throws to put the Crusaders ahead 82-80 with 30 seconds remaining. Loyola’s final three-point attempt was contested and came up short, allowing Hughes to secure the rebound and seal the victory.
Robinson led Carey with 16 points. Dunn scored 14, and Roberts added 13. The Crusaders will play again Thursday in Marietta, Georgia, against Life University, with a 6:30 p.m. tip-off.
