Men’s Basketball Falters Against Titans 87-65

The Loyola men’s basketball team defeated the University of Detroit Mercy Nov. 7 87-65 in Gentile Arena. Third-year guard Jayden Dawson, graduate guard Sheldon Edwards Jr. and fourth-year forward Jalen DeLoach led the Ramblers with 13 points each. Detroit Mercy’s fourth-year guard Mak Manciel led both teams with 16 points. 

Second-year center Miles Rubin got the game going with a slam dunk right after winning the tip off. Manciel responded with a jumper to even the score at two. 

Dawson regained the lead for Loyola with a 3-pointer, before third-year Titan guard Orlando Lovejoy made a layup to decrease the lead to one. Rubin and Manciel traded layups and Dawson made two at the line for a 9-6 Loyola lead three minutes in. 

Manciel tied the game at nine with a three-point shot a minute later and first-year Detroit Mercy forward Ryan Kalambay added three points with a layup and an and-one to take an 11-9 lead.

Third-year guard Jalen Quinn tied the game up again after making two free throws for the Ramblers. 

Edwards Jr. broke a two minute combined scoring drought with a three to regain the lead for Loyola. Lovejoy attempted to close the gap after being fouled by third-year guard Justin Moore but couldn’t capitalize at the free-throw line. 

Moore and first-year Detroit Mercy forward Stephen Okoro traded layups before a timeout was called on the floor. After the break, Moore stole the ball from the Titan offense and found Dawson, who sank a 3-pointer for the advantage. 

Third-year guard Kymany Houinsou and Dawson added on with a layup and a one-and-one at the line. Fourth-year guard Des Watson and DeLoach added to the momentum with a driving layup and a jumper to put the Ramblers ahead 27-14. 

Redshirt first-year Titan guard Grant Gondrezick II brought the Loyola lead to 10 when he made a three-point shot, but Watson responded with a three of his own to maintain the distance. 

Dawson capitalized on a 3-pointer and Detroit Mercy’s first-year guard TJ Nadeau hit a jumper. Watson and Rubin were fouled in back-to-back possessions and added three points to the 37-21 lead. 

Over the ensuing three minutes, the Ramblers outscored the Titans 9-5, highlighted by a slam dunk from Houinsou.

After a timeout break, Dawson added a free throw to the score before Houinsou gained possession and sank a 3-pointer. Fourth-year forward Francis Nwaokorie scored the final points of the half at the line, giving the Ramblers a 50-33 advantage at halftime. 

The second half started with a minute-long scoring drought, broken when first-year Detroit Mercy forward Nate Johnson made a second-chance bucket. 

Edwards Jr. went on a streak, putting up five consecutive points for the Ramblers after sending in a jumper and a 3-pointer. Watson increased the gap to 18 after completing a three point play with a layup and an and-one. 

DeLoach sent in two buckets before completing an and-one to bring the score to 63-45. Quinn tacked on two more points after pushing through tough Titan defense to finish a layup. 

First-year guard Danill Glazkov scored his first collegiate points after sending in a layup from underneath the net. A minute later, DeLoach made a shot and was fouled in the process, but failed to capitalize at the line. 

Lovejoy was sent to the line by DeLoach and made both attempts making it 69-55. Just a minute later, Houinsou gave Okoro an opportunity at the line, where he added one to the board. 

After a Rubin dunk, three fouls were called within seconds of each other. Johnson missed three of four attempts for the Titans, while Houinsou only added one point for the Ramblers. DeLoach hit a mid range jumper before Johnson secured one point at the line.

Moore increased the Loyola lead with a tip-in, but failed to capitalize on the following and-one opportunity. 

DeLoach and Moore broke 80 for Loyola while Rubin kept things steady on the defensive end, blocking two Detroit Mercy shots. 

Graduate Detroit Mercy guard and forward Emmanuel Kuac broke a two-minute stretch with no scoring after being sent to the line by Watson. The Titans tried to close the 20-point gap, but Edwards Jr. sealed the deal, ending the game with a dunk and giving the Ramblers a 2-0 record with a 87-65 win.

Despite the win, head coach Drew Valentine said he’s still not satisfied with the way the team is playing, and he’s still in search of what the “identity of the team” is. 

“I don’t think we played particularly well either of our first two games of the year,” Valentine said. “We’re 2-0 so it’s better to learn through winning and I got to continue to find ways to rotationally figure out who’s going to impact winning the most out there on the floor.” 

The Ramblers continue their home slate Nov. 10 against Eureka College with a tipoff time of 1 p.m. The game will be  available to stream on Marquee Sports Network and ESPN+.