PULASKI, Tenn. – UT Southern returned home for a Saturday afternoon conference matchup and delivered a strong early effort before a decisive second-half surge sent Loyola past the Firehawks, 75–54. UTS led early, trailed by just three at halftime, and remained within striking distance until a prolonged scoring drought in the second half allowed the visitors to pull away.
UT Southern opened the game with sharp execution as Antonio Cochran drilled a three from the right wing off a pass from Mike Bell, Jr. A few possessions later, Cochran added a jumper, and Daniel Reyes and Eric Robinson each contributed on the glass as the Firehawks controlled the early pace. A layup from De'Marreon Baldwin kept UTS close at 10–7, followed by a mid-range bucket from Luke Lentz that pulled the Firehawks within four.
UT Southern briefly fell behind 16–9 but responded with its strongest stretch of the half. Cochran scored in the lane, Lentz buried a three in transition, and Reyes found space inside for a layup to make it 19–16. After Loyola pushed the margin again, Baldwin's drive cut it to 23–21, and UTS continued to battle on the boards, highlighted by blocks from Baldwin and Kiah Key and a series of offensive rebounds from Reyes. Robinson buried a jumper to pull the Firehawks to within 27–25 late in the half, but a free throw in the final seconds sent UTS into the break trailing 28–25.
Reyes opened the second half with a tip-in after an offensive rebound, and Baldwin followed with a strong drive to cut it to 30–29. But soon after, turnovers and missed shots began to stack up. UTS came up empty on several straight possessions, while Loyola built its first significant run of the game, stretching the lead to 39–33 after a string of three-point makes. Bell briefly stopped the momentum with a transition three assisted by Baldwin, but the visitors answered again from long range to go up 42–33.
From that point, UT Southern struggled to regain rhythm. A pair of UTS turnovers led to transition baskets, and despite defensive efforts from Reyes, Harper, Baldwin, and Key—including multiple blocks—the Firehawks couldn't slow Loyola's mid-half surge. Reyes continued to fight inside, scoring back-to-back second-chance buckets to bring UTS within 50–37, and Jack Harper delivered the team's biggest offensive spark of the half, hitting a pair of free throws and then knocking down a deep three to close the gap to 52–42.
Harper remained hot, hitting another jumper later to bring the deficit to 58–44, but Loyola responded with another run and closed the final minutes with several transition finishes to secure the win.
UT Southern was led by:
• Antonio Cochran: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist
• De'Marreon Baldwin: 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks
• Daniel Reyes: 8 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, strong defensive presence
• Jack Harper: 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including two threes
• Mike Bell, Jr.: 3 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds
• Eric Robinson: 4 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds
• Luke Lentz: 6 points, 1 rebound
UT Southern shot 38.6 percent from the field and totaled 28 rebounds, but 18 turnovers and a 5-of-10 night at the line proved costly. Loyola held a key edge in points off turnovers and second-chance scoring, using a strong shooting performance in the second half to pull away.
UT Southern (5–7, 1–3 SSAC) returns home next week, hosting Faulkner on Saturday, December 13 at 2 p.m. at the Curry Athletic Complex.
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