Let me speculate on the mindset, and the escape manoeuvre; and also on the day to day mind set and emergency practices.
Firstly, the commercial sim is used every 6 months to practice and check well known non-normal and emergency situations. Generally they are discussed, briefed and practiced; or they have been seen before and are a regular standards check. There are too many WTF moments.
There is speculation about the escape manoeuvre required during a loop and being low/slow at apex, and the knowledge & currency of that. If you were performing a straight forward simple loop along your line I would suspect you would be mindful of what to do in a coupe of 'what if' moments. The manoeuvre is a simple lop.
Now throw in the bent loop while making a line adjustment: where is the focus? I suggest it is on the line adjustment and not on the monitoring of the manoeuvre and the escape routes.
The low energy entry, both speed & height, and perhaps even too low a G pull-up. To be aware of all those and monitor the apex is quite a work load. Add in to that the line adjustment concentration and perhaps the monitoring of the 'gate' was lacking as the line adjustment took priority.
The root causes then become low energy at entry; wrong alignment at entry; wrong pull up point at entry. The last 2 could take over the prime concentration at apex as the required line for the descent becomes visible. Rolling away from that 'magnet' would be difficult human nature, and when, in the downward vertical, the realisation of the inevitable becomes apparent it is too late.