The Wolfpack might not have been perfect on Oct. 29, but they were good enough to pull out a 89-84 victory in the home opener against Webber International University.
The game started out with both teams struggling to take control. The ‘Pack came out and scored the first six points of the game but were unable to maintain their offensive pressure resulting in back and fourth scoring for the rest of the half. By halftime Loyola had a slim 35-31 lead.
Head coach Michael Giorlando said that part of the reason the Webber International Warriors were able to keep the score close was their ability to get close to he basket. “They got to the paint way too much,” Giorlando said. “That bothered me a lot. It bothered the whole team.”
Though Loyola was able to open and sustain a lead that hovered around 10 points, the Warriors began to chip away at that lead as the half began to wind down. The Warriors hit a last second three-pointer to tie the game at 80 at the end of regulation.
Even though it was the freshman’s first game of his college career, starting point guard and general studies business freshman, Tommy Stangl said he felt prepared for overtime because of the team’s conditioning program.
“Coach Gio has pushed us and that’s what it takes to get to the top,” Stangl said.
Because a team can become discouraged after loosing a lead late in regulation Giorlando knew it was important to make sure the team was in the right mindset going into the extra period of play.
“I just told them this is overtime, this is your time to shine,” Giorlando said when talking about what he said in the break between the end of the second half and the start of overtime. “We practice for overtime, we condition for overtime. They were ready. They weren’t fatigued.”
The conditioning was particularly important for Stangl, who logged the most time on the court of any player on the Wolfpack, with 39:51 of playing time. He was also one of the strongest perimeter shooters of the game hitting three of the ‘Pack’s five, three-pointers. Loyola went five of 15 from beyond the arch.
When Loyola came back on to the court for the five-minute overtime period they quickly reestablished control. They scored the first four points of overtime on their way to the 89-84 victory. Giorlando was pleased to come away with the win but said there are some things the team needs to improve on. “I was very disappointed we didn’t handle the ball better. There were way too many turnovers,” Giorlando said.
Accounting freshman Jamal Silas had the most turnovers with eight.Loyola turned the ball over a total of 28 times. While Loyola outrebounded Webber International 52-46, the Warrior’s ability to get to the paint also helped them grab a lot of offensive rebounds. Webber International had 19 offensive boards while Loyola had 16.
Giorlando also expressed some concern over his center’s getting into foul trouble. This forced him to juggle the line up so players wouldn’t foul out.
“Darrinton MonCrieffe got in foul trouble and then Marc Luettecke got in foul trouble,” Giorlando said. “We’re fortunate we got a few guys who can play inside. Cameron Cates helped step in at center.”
While there is room for the whole team to improve, Stangl enjoyed his first game.
“I was a little nervous at first but I was excited to go out there and play my first college game,” Stangl said. “To go into overtime in my first college game and get the W was quite exciting.”
With only two games into the season, the other being versus Dillard University last night,there is still a long way to go until the national tournament, butStangl said the goals for the season are clear.
“We’re trying to compete for a conference championship,” Stangl said. “And hopefully from there, an NAIA championship.”
Hasani Grayson can be reached at [email protected]
