It was a rainy Endymion Saturday, but James Bunn, management senior, wasn’t getting any beads or doubloons – he was getting points in an effort to make sure he and two other seniors (Jon Creel and James Olivard) won their last stand at The Den.
“That’s huge for us,” said forward David Curtin, political science sophomore, of a 76-52 blowout tally. “Those are the guys we came back for [after the storm].”
Bunn scored 19 points on a blazing six-of-eight shooting, as the ‘Pack (4-10, GCAC) trounced seventh place Tougaloo College (5-19, 2-12 GCAC). He grabbed seven boards and ripped the twine on two out of three three-point attempts in 38 minutes.
Fellow seniors Creel, history, and Olivard, marketing, combined for 10 points off high percentage finishes under the basket.
“I’m so proud to have been [the seniors’] coach,” coach Michael Giorlando said. “They brought so much credibility to our program, on and off the floor. They finished strong. I’m so glad they went out on a win here,” Giorlando said, lauding his seniors’ curtain call at The Den.
The ‘Pack laid waste to Tougaloo by hitting shots from every range, scoring prolifically from mid-range and shooting exceptionally well from behind the arc. Loyola posted a 57.8 percent shooting mark on the day; the team shot 66.7 percent from three-point range, including a season-best 8-of-11 in the second half.
Luke Zumo, general studies sophomore, shot 70 percent and scored 19 points. He went three-of-five on three-point attempts and a handful of 15-to-20 foot jump shots that kept a frustrated Tougaloo flailing.
“Before the game, we talked as a team about ball movement,” said Zumo. “It was definitely apparent that we were getting so many open shots moving the ball, setting good screens, and coming off them hard.”
Although he didn’t score, David Curtin, political science sophomore, turned in an exceptional performance defending the post. In a second half stretch, as Tougaloo desperately sought to score buckets keep pace with a streaking ‘Pack, Curtin forced a three-point miss, collected an air ball and kick-started a fast-break with a pinpoint outlet pass to Bunn and then fouled a Tougaloo shooter so hard that he missed an “inch-away” layup. The shooter missed the second foul shot; Curtin collected the rebound, broke a double team that collapsed on him and kick-started another fast break.
“Going up against guys like Olivard and Mario (Faranda) in practice, that gets you ready to play as good a player as you’ll play anywhere,” he said of the team’s clamping down at the end of the conference schedule.
“A lot of it came from the defensive end,” said Giorlando of his team’s shooting success. “We did a good job of defending them once things settled down. They did get off to a good start, but once we adjusted, I think the confidence we got off those stops translated into confidence of taking and making open shots.”
