Strong Second Half Lifts Loyola Over Cross-City Rival Chicago State

The Loyola men’s basketball team rode a 40-point second half to a 62-53 victory over cross-city rivals Chicago State University in front of home fans Tuesday night. 

Second-year guard Jalen Quinn topped the stat sheet for Loyola with 15 points and four assists. Fourth-year guard Sheldon Edwards provided a spark off the bench and finished with 14 points and four rebounds while third-year guard Des Watson turned in another great performance with 13 points and five rebounds. 

The Ramblers entered play at 3-3 after splitting two games at the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Missouri where they fell short against No. 15 Creighton University but got the better of Boston College the next day 71-68.

Chicago State made the 16-mile journey north to Rogers Park hoping to snap a skid as they had dropped three of their last four to fall to 2-6 on the season.

The Cougars started the game off with a 6-0 scoring run punctuated by an easy fast break lay in by third-year guard Brent Davis after he intercepted a Rambler pass. Watson got Loyola on the board when he went one for two at the line then graduate forward Dame Adelekun made it 6-3 when he dropped in a reverse layup. 

Quinn made two at the line, but a six-minute Loyola scoring drought followed while Chicago State added onto their 13-5 lead with a three by third-year guard Kendrick Green and a hook shot by third-year guard Jahsean Corbett. 

Graduate guard Braden Norris got the Rambler offense rolling when he drilled a three after a defensive stop. Edwards made it 13-12 with another three. Third-year Chicago State guard Wesley Cardet Jr. responded with a pull-up midranger, but Edwards had a hot hand and drilled another three to tie it at 15.

The Cougars answered right back as second-year guard Deshawn Jean-Charles drilled another three. Then, on the other end, Edwards’ attempt at a return was off the mark. Chicago State extended their lead to 21-15 when third-year forward Noble Crawford capitalized on a wide open look from beyond the arc. 

Quinn and Cardet Jr. traded buckets before the last official timeout of the half. As the period wound down, first-year center Miles Rubin electrified Gentile Arena with a hard two-hand jam, and Watson cut the deficit to just three with an arcing triple. 

With the shot clock off, Davis missed a shot in the lane but the ball bounced to Corbett who was waiting on the wing, and hoisted up a three which found the bottom of the net as the buzzer sounded. Chicago State sent the Ramblers to the locker room down 28-22 at the half.

Out of the break, Chicago State picked up six quick points at the charity stripe while Loyola struggled to find their offensive footing. Watson got things rolling with a three from the corner making it 34-27, but Crawford silenced the crowd with a three of his own at the other end. 

Third-year Cougar forward Cameron Jernigan sucked the air out of the arena when he grabbed an offensive rebound and defiantly slammed it home, putting Chicago State up 39-29. 

The two squads traded baskets until Watson kicked off a 12-point Loyola run when he spun around a defender in the post and laid it in. Norris cut the deficit to five after drilling a three and both Quinn and Edwards both dropped in two at the line. Graduate forward Tom Welch gave Loyola their first lead of the night with a reverse lay-up. 

With just under eight minutes to play, Norris fought hard for a rebound then, down the floor, found Watson cutting on the baseline for a dunk that electrified Gentile and put Loyola up 47-43.

A few possessions later, Edwards tickled the twine with another three and extended the Rambler lead to 51-45. Just before the last official timeout, graduate forward Patrick Mwamba came up with a steal and hit Quinn who was breaking down the floor for an easy layup.

Davis kept Chicago State in it with two free throws, but Quinn came right back and drove hard to the hoop and went up strong keeping Loyola in the driver’s seat at 55-48. A few possessions later, Edwards couldn’t finish on a transition layup but Quinn was ready with the return and tipped it back in extending the Rambler lead to nine with just over two minutes to play.

As they had done throughout the game, the Cougars set a full-court press in the final minutes and managed to strip the ball from Quinn but failed to capitalize as Cardet Jr.’s three bounced off the front iron. 

Adelekun picked up two more at the line and the Cougars added on four more before the buzzer sounded, but it wasn’t enough as the Ramblers escaped with the win and improved to 4-3 on the season.

Loyola offense got a boost between the halves as they shot 52% from the field in the second after making just 35% of their attempts in the first. 

Head coach Drew Valentine said he was proud of the way the team responded to adversity early in the game when they were missing their shots and turning the ball over. 

“I’m really proud of this team because they were the only guys that believed, and we’re the only ones, it felt like, in the gym that felt like we were going to win,” he said. “So a lot of credit to our group found a way to win and that’s all that matters.”

Next up the Ramblers welcome the Harvard University Crimson to Gentile Arena Saturday, Dec. 2. First tip is scheduled for 3 p.m. and fans can catch the game on NBC Sports Chicago+.

Featured image by Holden Green | The Phoenix