NEW ORLEANS, La. - The University of Mobile Men's Basketball team, ranked No. 20 in the NAIA, earned a 62-59 victory over conference foe Loyola University (La.) on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 3, defeating the Wolf Pack on their home floor in New Orleans, La. The win for the Rams is the team's third consecutive victory, while improving the overall record to 18-5 this season. Mobile's 18th victory this year makes it back-to-back seasons where the Rams have finished with at least 18 wins under head coach Darnell Archey.
Additionally, Saturday's win improves Mobile's conference record to 11-4 this season, with the Rams continuing to sit in third place in the current SSAC Men's Basketball standings.
Rams Strong First Half the Difference
Both offense and defense came out strong for the visiting Rams on Saturday afternoon as Mobile held Loyola to just 20 points in the first half, while scoring 36 points of their own through the first 20 minutes. Mobile shot the ball 44.8% in the first half, relying on 13 made shots from the floor and five successful free throw attempts. Five of Mobile's 13 shots were from behind the arch for three, with two three-pointers coming from Trent Moye who finished with 10 first-half points. DaMariee Jones joined Moye with 10 points in the first.
For Loyola, the Wolf Pack offense struggled to find consistent shots, making only nine field goals on 32 attempts. The Wolf Pack finished the first half with a sub-30% shooting line, while turning the ball over seven times. Loyola went 2-for-12 from the three point line in the first half. However, the second half proved to be a different story for Loyola, who eventually made Saturday's contest a battle for Mobile.
In the second half, Loyola's offense sparked and managed to shoot the ball above 48% throughout the final 20 minutes of regulation. For Mobile, the Rams shot just 39% in the second half as the Wolf Pack continued to chip away at the lead. Mobile's 19-point lead with 14 minutes left in the game eventually evaporated in the latter part of the second half as Loyola cut the deficit to just one point with 57 seconds remaining in the game. From there, Mobile's Joshua Williams made a clutch three-pointer with 34 seconds left that gave Mobile a four-point lead.
On the next possession, Loyola made a quick jumper for two with 24 seconds left, but were forced to foul on the Rams' next possession. Mobile's Sage McKenna was fouled with nine seconds left and went 1-for-2 at the line to put Mobile up three. As time expired on the clock, Loyola's Kameron Johnson missed the game-tying three at the buzzer and the Rams escaped the upset with a 62-59 victory in New Orleans.
Game Stats
Mobile ended Saturday with a 42% shooting percentage, while making eight threes in the win. The Rams went 10-for-18 from the free throw line, making five free throws in each half. DaMariee Jones led Mobile individually with 16 points, adding six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Trent Moye ended the afternoon with 15 points, while Ezra McKenna recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds for his 18th double-double of the year. McKenna finished four assists shy of his first-career triple-double on Saturday. Both Sage McKenna and Joshua Williams tallied six points each, and Treylan Smith notched seven points from off the bench. Mobile saw just six players score in the victory.
Loyola out-rebounded the Rams 40-38, but were unable to shoot north of 40% from the floor following the slow first half. Mobile led for the entire second half, eventually leading for a total of 32 minutes in Saturday's matchup. Loyola's last lead came with 11:53 left in the first half.
Georgia on the Rams' Mind
Off the win in New Orleans, Mobile heads to the state of Georgia next week for a pair of conference games beginning on Thursday, Feb. 8. The Rams are scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. CT game against Middle Georgia State in Cochran, Ga. on Thursday before heading to Mount Vernon, Ga. on Saturday for an afternoon game against Brewton-Parker College (Ga.) at 1:00 p.m CT on Feb. 10. Mobile defeated both teams at home in January of this season.
FOLLOW THE RAMS
For complete coverage of University of Mobile Athletics, follow the Rams on social media at /MobileRams (Facebook), @UMobileRams (Twitter), and @umobilerams (Instagram), or visit the official home of the University of Mobile Athletic Department at https://umobilerams.com/.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
