KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Loyola New Orleans used a 17-2 run late in the first half to open up a 36-18 lead and then cruised into the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Game with an 82-70 victory Monday night over Arizona Christian. The Wolf Pack had five players reach double figures, led by Zach Wrightsil with 20.
Loyola lived up to its No. 1 seed, although Arizona Christian was also the No. 1 seed in its region.
Three straight 3-pointers by Loyola, including two straight by Cameron Dumas, took a 3-point lead and turned it into a 12-point lead late in the first half. But the run didn’t stop there.
The encouraging thing for the Wolf Pack is that they built their 39-28 halftime lead with their three top scorers combining for 11 points, including leading scorer Wrightsil with just 4. Jalen Galloway, who averages 6.6 points per game, led all scorers with 12 points.
The lead was never less than 12 throughout the second half, and it stretched to 20 points at the 13:04 mark.
