Loyola men’s basketball team kicked off the opening round of the NAIA National Championship Tournament with a win against #16 Benedictine University Mesa.

The Wolfpack entered the tournament as the No.1 seed after wrapping up the regular-season play with a 31-1 overall record.

Starting for Loyola, Myles Burns, Brandon Davis, Terry Smith Jr, Andrew Fava and Zach Wrightsil took the court.

Fava started off the game shooting and scored three 3-pointers in the first half.

Myles Burns also led the team with 22 points in the first half, and Cameron Dumas entered the game and gained 5 steals.

The Wolfpack was up 69-40 at the half.

Loyola’s all-time leader in points, assists and rebounds, Zach Wrightsil, finished the game with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists.

Myles Burns continued to control the court and was the game’s highest scorer with 31 points. He also brought in 10 steals and 8 rebounds.

Loyola dominated defensively, forcing Benedictine Mesa to 29 turnovers by the end of the game which resulted in 44 of the Wolfpack’s total points.

At the buzzer, Loyola sealed a 119-82 win for their first game in the NAIA National Championship.

Loyola is hosting the opening round of the tournament at Tulane’s Fogelman Arena in Devlin Fieldhouse and will play #9, Florida College today at 5:30 p.m.