Edwards Jr. Scores 22 Points in 72-60 Victory Over Canisius

The Loyola men’s basketball team defeated Canisius College 72-60 Dec. 18. Graduate guard Sheldon Edwards Jr. scored a season-high 22 points for the Ramblers, while third-year guard Paul McMillan IV and fourth-year guard Tana Kopa each scored a team high of 15 for the Golden Griffins. 

Edwards Jr. opened the game with a 3-pointer, which was equaled by a three from Kopa. Kopa added another three following a fast break to take an early lead. Fourth-year guard Des Watson made a jumper and a 3-pointer to gain a 8-6 advantage for Loyola. 

A layup by third-year guard Jalen Quinn and a three-point play by second-year center Miles Rubin put the Ramblers ahead 13-8. Both teams suffered a two-minute scoring drought, eventually broken by a Quinn layup. First-year guard Daniil Glazkov made a 3-pointer to extend the Ramblers’ lead to 10. 

Another two-minute drought plagued the court before second-year Canisius forward Dylan Godfrey drained a 3-pointer with the Ramblers leading 18-11. 

Edwards Jr. and graduate forward Jasman Shanga traded 3-pointers, and Rubin slammed a lob from Edwards Jr. McMillan IV made two layups and a jumper on the next three possessions to tighten the 23-20 gap. Watson kept the Rambler lead after making a 3-pointer.

McMillan IV and Sangha each added a jumper before Quinn had a successful trip to the free-throw line, and fourth-year forward Francis Nwaokorie made a layup with just under four minutes remaining in the half. 

A string of misses tormented both squads before Watson converted on a layup after a steal. After a missed opportunity from Rubin, Glazkov stole the ball on the next Loyola possession and extended a 10-point advantage with a driving layup. 

A dunk by Nwaokorie and a jumper by McMillan IV ended the first half, with the Ramblers ahead 36-26. 

Kopa opened the second half with a 3-pointer, which was matched by an Edwards Jr. triple. On the next possession, Kope hit another three and Edwards Jr. was unable to respond with the attempt.  

Two free throws by redshirt second-year guard Cam Palesse brought the Golden Griffins within five, but Watson extended the lead with a 3-pointer. A dunk off a rebound by fourth-year forward Jalen DeLoach gave the Ramblers back a 10-point lead.

Watson stole the ball from McMillan and sent it to Edwards Jr., who slammed it into the net, leading to a Canisius timeout. Fresh out of the break, second-year Canisius guard Anthony Benard made a layup, narrowing the gap back to 10. 

Both teams traded points on the following possessions, with a Nwaokorie three and a dunk by DeLoach for Loyola, while the Golden Griffins scored with a jumper by McMillan and a driving layup by Godfrey. Benard added a layup to make it 51-42 with just under 10 minutes remaining.

Edwards Jr. added another 3-pointer and Sangha made a layup before another drought struck the court. McMillan ended the dry spell with a layup. 

The teams traded buckets on the next possessions, as two dunks from Nwaokorie and Rubin, a Quinn layup, a 3-pointer by Palesse and one made free throw by McMillan made it 60-50. 

Edwards Jr. made back-to-back 3-pointers, and Watson made a layup to force another Canisius timeout. Edwards Jr. and Quinn each added a layup before Sangha made a jumper and layup for the Golden Griffins. 

A free throw by Palesse and a Kopa three ended the game, with the Ramblers coming out victorious 72-60. 

Coming off a loss against San Francisco, head coach Drew Valentine said he was proud of the comeback the team had, even though he said there are still improvements to be made. 

“We bounced back with a win tonight, and I’m proud of our guys for stepping up after the last few days,” Valentine said. “We’ve got to be better on defensive, and our bigs weren’t great today. [Quinn] and [Nwaokorie] really stepped up and made the most of the opportunity tonight.” 

The Ramblers will spend part of their winter break in Hawaii, playing three games in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic Dec. 22-25. All games will be available to stream on ESPN+.