Men’s Basketball Falls to Dayton in Overtime

The Loyola men’s basketball team fought a tough battle against the University of Dayton Jan. 18, eventually falling in the last seconds of overtime on the Flyers’ home court. 

Third-year guard Jayden Dawson and graduate guard Sheldon Edwards Jr. led the Ramblers with 19 points each, while Dayton’s fourth-year guard Enoch Cheeks scored 26 points for the Flyers. 

Dayton started the game on a six-point run following a turnover from second-year center Miles Rubin. Fourth-year Flyer forward Nate Santos drew a foul going up for a layup and connected on the additional point, while third-year guard Javon Bennett drained a 3-pointer. 

Fourth-year forward Jalen DeLoach got the Ramblers on the board with a layup before a two-minute drought plagued the court. A 3-pointer from Cheeks broke the ice, and third-year guard Jalen Quinn tossed in a layup for a 9-4 Flyer lead. 

Dawson secured a layup and fourth-year guard Des Watson took a successful trip to the line to cut Dayton’s lead to one. Graduate forward Zed Key hit a jumper in the paint to keep the Flyers ahead 11-8. 

A layup from Dawson and a 3-pointer from fourth-year forward Francis Nwaokorie put the Ramblers in front. The lead switched back to the Flyers after a three from Cheeks, but Rubin reclaimed it with a dunk.

A three-point play from first-year forward Amael L’Etang prompted a brief run from the Flyers. Cheeks hit a three, redshirt third-year guard Malachi Smith made two layups and Bennett added a layup before Quinn broke the streak with a jumper in the paint, making it 26-17 with six minutes remaining in the half. 

After a series of misses from both teams, Dawson sunk a three to close the gap. Key responded with a made free throw and a three-point play on the following possessions. Over the next minute, Key was fouled three times and made half of his attempts, giving the Flyers a 13-point advantage. 

Dawson and DeLoach added three at the line before a three-point play from Dawson ended the first half with the Flyers ahead 33-26. 

Santos opened the second half with a jumper, which was replicated by Bennett on the next possession following a Rambler turnover. The sides traded layups back and forth, with Cheeks, Quinn and L’Etang all scoring to maintain the 41-31 Dayton lead. 

A 3-pointer from Bennett was met with one from Dawson. L’Etang had a successful trip to the line while DeLoach made just one on the following possession. Quinn stole the ball from Cheeks and took it all the way down the court for a layup and a 46-37 score. 

A brief drought ensued before Cheeks slammed a dunk. The Ramblers responded with a 9-0 run after Watson and third-year guard Kymany Houinsou each made a layup, and both Edwards Jr. and Watson netted threes, closing the Flyer lead to one.

A dunk and layup from Cheeks kept the Flyers alive, but a layup from Houinsou edged the Ramblers closer. After a two-minute dry spell on the court, Watson hit a three to tie the game at 52. 

The Ramblers took the lead after a 3-pointer from Watson. Two made free throws from Smith kept Dayton back within one, but DeLoach spurred the Ramblers ahead with a dunk. 

A 3-pointer from Cheeks tied the game again at 57, but Edwards Jr. immediately responded with his own three to regain the lead. A Smith layup and a successful trip to the line from Bennett recovered the Flyers’ one-point advantage. 

The Ramblers stayed strong and Edwards Jr. capitalized on another 3-pointer. A minute later, Cheeks did the same to reclaim the lead, which was extended by a successful trip from L’Etang. An Edwards Jr. 3-pointer tied the game again at 66 with 43 seconds left to play. 

Two made free throws from Smith gave the Flyers a short-lived lead, which was broken by Edwards Jr. with a layup that pushed the game into overtime. 

Smith recorded the first overtime points with a layup, followed by a free throw by Dawson. A three-point play by Bennett increased the Flyers’ lead. A responding three-point play from Dawson brought the Ramblers within one, but a Santos jumper kept the Flyers ahead. 

Edwards Jr. then tied the game again with a 3-pointer, but Cheeks recovered the Flyers’ lead with a responding three. The score remained close as Watson made a layup, Smith took a successful trip to the line, Edwards Jr. hit a jumper and Smith made another free throw. 

Quinn tied the game at 81 after grabbing Smith’s missed free throw and drove in a layup. Just before the buzzer rang, L’Etang received a pass from Smith and put it into the net to take the win 83-81 at the last second for the Flyers. 

Head coach Drew Valentine said the team will learn from the loss and was impressed with how they played together on the court. 

“When adversity hit today, we didn’t break off and do our own thing,” Valentine said. “We executed and played within ourselves. Staying together and believing in the fabric, identity and culture of this program is our biggest thing. It felt better today watching a team that was competing together.” 

The Ramblers return to Gentile Arena Jan. 22, where they face Fordham University in the annual Jesuit Jam. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the event can be streamed on Marquee Sports Network.