MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Stillman College's quest to win its final Southern States Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship was derailed Thursday afternoon when seventh-seed Loyola University upset the second-seeded Tigers, 79-76, in the quarterfinals at Cramton Bowl. 

The Tigers fought back from a seven-point deficit in the first half to take a 30-25 lead on back-to-back Tyler Martin 3-pointers with less than eight minutes to play in the first half. Stillman led for the next 12 minutes of play, including 43-41 at halftime. 

In the second half, it was Loyola fighting back from seven down, 61-54, to go up by seven, 77-70, with 3:55 to play. 

Stillman went on a six-point run, including a Justin Minter layup on offense and blocked shot on defense to set up an opportunity for Stillman to race to the finish in the final minute. Antonio Jones drew a foul and hit the front end of two free throws to make it a one-point game, 77-76, with 42 seconds to play. Zachary Lee worked the clock down for Loyola before draining a jumper with 13 seconds left to make it a three-point game. 

Jones, the SSAC Sixth Man of the Year, started the game and led Stillman with 18 points and seven assists in 40 minutes. He had the ball in his hands for the final shot, but the potential tying 3-pointer was off the mark. 

Both teams shot around 56% from the floor, but free throws proved to be a difference. Stillman shot 50% from the line (12-of-24), compared to Loyola's 80% (24-of-30). 

Loyola won the battle in the paint, out-rebounding Stillman 31-20 and scoring 22 points in the lane compared to Stillman's 20. 

Jamar Jackson followed Jones' lead with 12 points, while Justin Minter and Marcus Bates Jr each scored 10. Tyler Martin led players off the bench with nine points. 

Braelee Albert led Loyola with 22 points. Alex Hammond and Lee each scored 14, while Milan Mejia had 11 and Julian Baldwin scored 10. 

Stillman (19-9) finished the regular season and conference tournament receiving votes with hopes for an at-large bid to the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament. The 64-team bracket will be announced Thursday, March 7 at 6 p.m. CT on the NAIA YouTube Channel.