Hattiesburg, MS- William Carey squandered an 18 point second half lead but made the plays it needed down the stretch to hold off Loyola- New Orleans, 74-71.

Carey held a 44-31 lead at the break but a 27-8 run by Loyola over the first twelve minutes of the second half staked the Wolfpack to 58-52 lead. William Carey answered with an 8-0 run which included a three from Daniel Huggins that gave the Crusaders the lead for good at 63-62 at the 4:35 mark. William Carey's lead grew to 68-63 with under three minutes left, then they were able to convert on six free throws down the stretch to secure the win.

William Carey (22-7, 12-6 GCAC) had three players in double figures, led by Daniel Huggins with 20 points. Terry Wade had 13 and Cory Smith added 10.

Carey is back in action on Thursday as they take on the University of Mobile in quarterfinal action in the GCAC playoffs. The teams split the regular season series with each winning on their respective home court. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm.