NEW ORLEANS - Loyola outscored Faulkner 16-3 to close out the first half to build a double-digit lead and the Eagles never got closer than eight points the rest of the way as the Wolf Pack secured an 83-73 Southern States Athletic Conference victory here Saturday at the Sports Complex.

The game was tight for most of the first half, and Robert Baltruns' 3-pointer from the top of the key gave the Eagles a 24-21 lead with 5:32 left in the period. The Wolf Pack ended the opening 20 minutes on a 16-3 run, with Ethan Turner hitting three 3-point bombs in the stretch that led to a 37-27 Loyola advantage at the break.

Loyola (4-2 overall, 1-0 SSAC) built as much as a 19-point lead in the second half, coming at 52-33 with 12:45 left in the game. The Eagles (3-3 overall, 0-1 SSAC) fought back from there, climbing to within single digits on three occasions. The Wolf Pack were able to stay in control with excellent shooting, making 54 percent of their shots on the afternoon. Faulkner, meanwhile, converted at just a 36-percent clip.

"Things got away from us late in the first half and then we had to play catch up the entire second half," Faulkner head coach Scott Sanderson said. "We just haven't gotten good post play yet, and that was a big factor today. And, once again, we ran into a team that made shots, and that's tough to overcome."

Nick Drake led Faulkner with 22 points. Marquis Grays had 12, Lucas Luttrell 11 and Monta Sanford 10 for the Eagles. Jalen Gray led five Loyola players in double figures with 21, followed by Tre'Von Jasmine's 17. Johnny Griffin was next with 14, with Turner adding 12 and Nick Parker 10.

The Eagles travel south Monday night to face Mobile in another SSAC battle. Tipoff is set for 7:30.