The men’s basketball team achieved a historic win on Saturday, taking down Tennessee Southern Firehawks with a score of 51 to 48 in the Southern States Athletic Conference Championship title game. Notably, this marks the third consecutive championship for the Loyola Wolf Pack. What truly sets this win apart is that the seventh-seed Wolf Pack team became the first team in tournament history to secure four wins in four days.

This triumph represents Loyola’s fourth SSAC tournament championship in the last six years, and the team’s determination and resilience were on full display throughout the tournament.

Loyola started off strong in the title game taking an early 6-2 lead over the Firehawks. Key contributors Zachary Lee, Milan Mejia, and Alex Hammond pushed the team forward. Despite a fiery response from the Firehawks, Loyola’s 13-0 run that was complemented by dunks from Lee and three pointers from Mejia that brought the score to 26-21 at halftime for the Wolf Pack.

The second half saw Loyola keep control of the game by extending the score by 10 points after four minutes of play. Braelee Albert’s plays helped keep the Firehawks at bay.
However, the Firehawks fought back, scoring nine straight. Following this, they sat at a one point lead, bringing the score to 42-41 with five minutes remaining in the half.

Mejia’s three-pointer ended the Firehawks momentum towards the end as Loyola held on defensively to secure the historic victory. The Wolfpacks grit and teamwork was a prime example of the spirit of athletics of Loyola University.