Dayton Rolls Past Loyola as Ramblers Go Stagnant on Offense

The Loyola men’s basketball team (9-17, 3-11) fell to the University of Dayton 65-49 at home Feb. 17. Stellar performances from Dayton’s Daron Holmes II and Toumani Camara, scoring 20 and 17 points, respectively, put the Flyers on top for their second win against the Ramblers this season.  

Dayton won the tip-off, scoring on their first two possessions with a layup by Holmes II and a three-pointer by Malachi Smith to give the Flyers a 5-0 lead to start the game. Graduate center Bryce Golden put the Ramblers on the board with a three-pointer, but the Flyers struck right back with a turnaround fadeaway jumper off the hot hand of Holmes II.

Philip Alston scored Loyola’s second field goal of the game on a second-chance driving layup,  but Dayton’s Toumani Camara responded with a dunk to put the score at 9-5.

After two minutes of scoreless basketball, Dayton was able to snap out of its scoring drought first, as Holmes II scored four unanswered points. The Flyers held Loyola scoreless for a total of four minutes, until a layup by Golden put the Ramblers within six at 13-7.

A turnaround jumper by Mike Sharavjamts extended the lead for the Flyers, but Golden and Alston combined for five points off a layup and three-pointer, respectively, to put the Ramblers within three. Not letting them get any closer, the Flyers went on an 8-0 scoring run featuring four points by Holmes II to secure an 11-point lead with just under five minutes to go in the half.

After a 30-second timeout called by Loyola Head Coach Drew Valentine, the Ramblers were able to adjust and go on a 6-0 run to cut the Ramblers’ deficit to five. The Flyers then interrupted the Ramblers’ streak with a free throw and a highlight windmill dunk by Camara off a steal.

With just over a minute to go in the first half, senior guard Marquise Kennedy was able to score on a mid-range pull-up shot, but Camara came back with a jumper in the paint to keep Dayton’s lead at eight to close out the half. 

Going into halftime, Dayton was dominating Loyola under the rim. The Flyers were outscoring the Ramblers 20-8 in the paint and caught three more offensive rebounds than Loyola. Dayton’s Holmes II was also a problem for Loyola, scoring 12 points while shooting 85.7% from the floor.

The Flyers started the second half strong, with a three-pointer and a layup by Smith and Homes II, respectively, within the first minute to extend their lead to 13. Kennedy was able to score for the Ramblers, but a dunk by Holmes II helped the Flyers keep their 13-point lead.

Redshirt first-year Ben Schwieger then scored a three-pointer for the Ramblers, followed by a slam dunk by Alston after a Norris steal to put the Ramblers within eight. For the next five minutes, however, the Ramblers put up two points off free throws from Alston but were unable to record a field goal. Meanwhile, the Flyers went on a blazing 13-2 run with scores from four different players.

In the ninth minute of the second half, graduate forward Jeameril Wilson scored Loyola’s first field goal in just under six minutes with a three-pointer to put Loyola within 17, but Dayton’s Mustaha Amzil scored one back to keep the Flyers’ lead at 20.

A 9-0 run by the Ramblers that ended with just over a minute left in the game set the scoreboard at 60-47. The 13-point deficit was the closest Loyola would get to Dayton for the remainder of the game. Two free throws by Dayton’s Atticus Schuler closed out the game at a score of 65-49 to give the Flyers the win.

Loyola finished the game shooting an underwhelming 30.5% from the floor compared to Dayton’s 48.1%. The Flyers were able to capitalize on their size and outscore the Ramblers 38-22 in the paint while out-rebounding them by 12.

Valentine gave Dayton high praise to Camara, saying that was as special a performance he’s ever seen, as well as the Flyers’ coaches for giving them trouble getting going on offense. However, he said people should not forget how Loyola took them to overtime in Dayton’s gym Jan. 31.

“It’s like a tale of two different games,” Valentine said. “I told them people would say that Dayton this and Dayton that. Let’s not forget we were beating that team in their gym with 13,000 fans three weeks ago, and we were in that overtime game, and I feel like we gave them that game.”

The Loyola men’s basketball team is slated to host Fordham University Feb. 22. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. and is set to be broadcast on NBC Sports Chicago+.

Featured image courtesy of Loyola Athletics