NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana Christian University men's basketball team fell 83-51 to the #14 Loyola Wolf Pack Wednesday night at The Den.
Kevin Wiltz opened the scoring with a basket, but Louisiana Christian (0-2) surrendered 18 consecutive points to #14 Loyola (2-1) to trail 18-2 with 12:26 remaining in the first half. LCU responded with a 10-2 stretch fueled by seven points from
Cam Ned. Wiltz assisted on Ned's drought-ending 3-pointer, and a
Desmond Atkins block led to another Ned basket. Ned then turned a steal into an assist on
Zaydrien Sewell's 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to 20-12 with 9:15 left.
That eight-point margin did not hold. Loyola scored the next 10 points to extend its lead to 30-12 before
Daniel Mitchell collected an offensive rebound and made a 3-pointer with 6:17 remaining. The deficit reached 22 points late in the half.
Isaac Ratliff completed a three-point play with a basket and one made free throw, but the Wildcats entered halftime trailing 44-24.
Wiltz's 3-pointer at 18:26 brought the Wildcats within 46-27, their closest margin of the second half. Mitchell later paired a steal with an assist on a Ned basket, while Atkins secured an offensive rebound, drew a foul and made both free throws at 14:51. LCU could not sustain a comeback, and a 7-0 Wolf Pack run pushed the deficit to 62-35 with 11:43 left.
Ned led LCU with 20 points, finishing 9-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-5 in an eight-point second half, and added three rebounds and three assists. Wiltz scored seven points, Sewell had six on two 3-pointers and Ratliff added five.
Rambo Eagins contributed four points and four assists. Mitchell led LCU with five rebounds, while Atkins supplied four rebounds and a block.
The Wildcats shot 19-of-54 from the field and 5-of-17 from beyond the arc, compared with Loyola's 49.2% overall shooting and 10-of-22 mark from 3-point range. LCU also faced a 46-26 rebounding deficit, including 19 offensive rebounds allowed. The Wildcats recorded 14 assists on 19 baskets and held a 14-11 edge in points off turnovers despite committing 14 turnovers to Loyola's 11.
Sewell made his second 3-pointer with 2:51 remaining, and James Stampley, IV made both free throws at 1:28 for LCU's final points, bringing the score to 75-51. Loyola scored the final eight points.
The Wildcats hope home cooking brings wins as Louisiana Christian plays its first home game of the 2026-27 season on Halloween night as Wiley comes to town for a spooky battle of Wildcats. Tip-off of Saturday's contest against the Wiley Wildcats (1-0) is set for 6 p.m. on Gene Rushing Court at H.O. West Fieldhouse.
