Men’s Basketball conquered in a tight matchup against Loyola

NEW ORLEANS, La. (Jan. 18, 2024) - The Point University Men's Basketball team returned to the court for a road Southern States Athletic Conference matchup against Loyola University where the Skyhawks fell in a close game with a final score of 69-66. 

The first half began with Sam Rees starting with a three-pointer to take the early 3-0 lead. The Wolfpack responded with an and-one followed by a made free throw to tie the game but the Skyhawks regained the lead as Jeremiah Smith converted on the jumper. Both teams continued to trade baskets as there would be five ties before Mike Evans added a shot behind the arc to push Point's lead to 19-15. The Skyhawks continued to keep their lead as Justice Hayes converted on the and-one which was followed by a free throw to bring the Skyhawk lead to 22-17. Sam Rees started to feel his rhythm on the court as he scored the following three jumpers with one being mid-range and two being three-pointer. Loyola followed with a 14-2 run to take the lead but another triple from Sam Rees brought the game within three points. Justice Hayes converted on three made free throws from the charity stripe to go into the half with Skyhawks trailing 41-37. 

The second half opened with John Williams scoring the first basket for Point which was followed by a three-pointer from Justice Hayes to creep closer to Loyola's lead. Sam Rees tied the game at 46 with another triple to keep the Skyhawk offense rolling. The Wolfpack responded by scoring the following six points to regain the lead but Joshua Scott halted any chance of a big run from Loyola with a made jumper. Kenton Steele and Mike Evans followed with the following two scores to bring the score to 58-59 with Loyola leading. Kenton Steele tied the game with a free throw which set up a Skyhawk lead on the following possession as Joshua Scott converted on the jump shot. Point extended their lead as Mike Evans would convert on the following three-point play before Loyola called a timeout. Loyola came out of the break and converted on two jumpers along with an and-one to see the Wolfpack regain the lead by one. Loyola converted on their following two jumpers with 59 seconds left to lead 69-64 with Point still in distance to make something happen. Mike Evans scored on two free throws from the line but the Skyhawks would not be able to tie on the next possession to fall 69-66. 

In the Box 

Sam Rees led with 17 Points, four rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Justice Hayes followed with 14 Points, three rebounds, and five assists. Mike Evans also added 14 Points with eight rebounds, six assists, and one steal. 

Up Next 

The Skyhawks continue their road trip as Point travels to Mobile for an SSAC rematch against the University of Mobile on Saturday, January 20th starting at 3:00 P.M.