With the Wolf Pack at home in the Den, Loyola’s men’s basketball team relied on their freshmen duo to beat Dalton State, 73-72, on Jan. 17.

The home game began with Loyola falling behind in the first half 30-14, with Dalton State in the lead. Key plays would unfold, however, to bring Loyola closer to the home win.

The first half featured a 12-point gain by the Wolf Pack. Three of the three-pointers which championed the 12 point gain, were made by finance senior Ethan Turner. The half would end with a 38-34 lead by Dalton State.

The second half of the game was just as aggressive as the first, with strong defense by the Wolf Pack and back-to-back shot attempts by a now desperate Dalton State offense.

A key assist by mass communication freshman Zach Wrightsil to mass communication freshman Myles Burns would put Loyola closer to a tie that would eventually be broken by computer science senior Tre’Von Jasmine‘s turnover.

At the last 14 and a half minutes of the game, Loyola held a lead despite back and forth efforts by Dalton State to close it. The game would eventually close to a gut-wrenching, close, 73-72 Wolf Pack victory.

The Pack will continue its games with a 4 p.m. game against Martin Methodist hosted in The Wolf Pack’s Den on Jan. 19.