Loyola men’s basketball lost its first two games on the road over the weekend. Both games were played in Henderson, Tenn.

The first game was against the host Lions, ranked sixteenth in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Despite a second-half comeback, the Wolfpack lost 96-77.

In the first half, Loyola shot 31 percent, compared to 56 percent in the second half. Aside from three-point attempts, the Wolfpack shot over 59 percent for the game.

“It’s a matter of being prudent and choosing shots,” Head Coach Jerry Hernandez said. “We were in striking distance in the second half, when we only had 10 three-point attempts.”

Management sophomore Chad Barnes, who was named to the preseason All-GCAC team, led all scorers with 28 points.

Matt Truax, general business sophomore, and Brandon Powell, general studies freshman, had 11 points each. History junior Dawson McCall led the team with seven rebounds.

From the beginning, Freed-Hardeman had the advantage in size and strength.

“We were out-manned and overpowered,” Hernandez said.

The next day, the ‘Pack faced Bethel, a strong NAIA Division II team.Loyola kept the game close but fell short, 69-62.

Barnes led the team in three major categories: points (17), rebounds (7), and assists (5). James Olivard added 12 points.

“We’re a lot better than we showed,” said McCall, who scored 12 points and also grabbed seven rebounds.

Hernandez was not pleased with the result.

“Our players did not allow the system to work for them,” he said. “The system works and they have to trust it. We shot our free throws very poorly (47 percent compared to 69 percent the night before).”

The team has focused on getting more rebounds and has had some success.

“We did out-rebound Bethel 33-28 and only allowed five offensive rebounds,” Hernandez said. “In the first game we were out-rebounded 38-26, but that is because we only shot 41 percent.”

The ‘Pack’s first home game was Wednesday against the Houston Baptist Huskies, who are ranked twentieth in the NAIA.

Because of poor shot selection and good shooting by the Huskies, Loyola fell behind 20-9 and could never completely recover.

At halftime, the score was 50-34 in favor of Houston Baptist. The Wolfpack shot 26 percent from the field in the first half compared to 53 percent for the Huskies.

The ‘Pack started the second half with a 13-5 run, but Houston Baptist responded with a 14-4 run.

Loyola cut the deficit to 82-74 with about three minutes left, but the Huskies scored the next 12 points. The final score was 96-78 in favor of Houston Baptist.

Barnes led all scorers with 27 points. McCall again led the Wolfpack in rebounds with six. Powell went five for eight from the field and got 11 points.

Barnes considers the ‘Pack’s mistakes to be part of the growth process.

“We’re just young. These are some of the top teams,” he said.

Loyola still has six more games scheduled against the preseason top 25, not to mention several games against NCAA Division I teams.

“We need to work out our mistakes against the really good teams so we can win when it isn’t as much of a challenge every night,” Barnes said.

The ‘Pack continues play today against Lambuth University today in Jackson, Tenn.