NEW ORLEANS, La. - It was another close call on the scoreboard for the Stallions of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Thursday. ABAC fell to Loyola 92-82, a game that saw them lead by as much as nine points in the first half.

The Stallions finish up the road trip Saturday afternoon at William Carey. They will then finish out the home schedule Feb. 12 and Feb. 14 against Brewton-Parker and Point, respectively.

A fast-break layup by Dontae Smith at 11:35 put the Stallions ahead 11-8 in the first half, sparking a rally that saw them outscore Loyola, 16-10, over the next six minutes.

A free throw by DeAli Thompson at 5:28 made the score 27-18. A furious rally, however, gave Loyola the lead back on a layup at 2:24 as the hosts never relinquished it.

Loyola expanded that lead all the way to 24 points with a little under four minutes to play, but ABAC was not done. The rest of the way, the Stallions outscored them 16-2.

Matthew Mairena sank all four of his free throws to raise his percentage to 92.6%, second in the NAIA nationally. Mairena had 21 total points and 3 assists.

Dontae Smith had a career night with 20 points, coming on 8-of-12 shooting. Bryce Wimberly contributed 12 points.