Men’s Basketball Outlasts Richmond 87-80 in Overtime

The Loyola men’s basketball team defeated the University of Richmond 87-80 in their first overtime win of the season Feb 11. Third-year guard Jayden Dawson led the team with a season-high 24 points, and graduate guard Sheldon Edwards Jr. followed with 21 points, consisting entirely of seven 3-pointers — a career high.  

With the win, the Ramblers advance to fifth place in the Atlantic 10 Conference and improve to 15-9 overall and 6-5 in conference play.

The Ramblers started the game on a 10-2 run — jumpstarted with a dunk and layup by second-year center Miles Rubin and accompanied by 3-pointers by fourth-year guard Des Watson and Dawson. Richmond’s lone score during the run came via third-year center Mike Walz’s jumper. 

After a Spiders timeout, Watson made a jumper. Richmond’s redshirt first-year forward Ryan Soulis made a 3-pointer, but Dawson responded with a three on the next possession for a 15-5 Loyola lead. 

Following a two-minute scoring drought, third-year guard Jalen Quinn and third-year Richmond forward Jonathon Beagle traded jumpers before third-year guard Kymany Houinsou made a driving layup to increase the Ramblers’ lead to 12. 

Fourth-year forward Francis Nwaokorie had a successful trip at the line before Richmond’s graduate guard B. Artis White made a jumper. Dawson kept the Ramblers ahead 24-9 with another 3-pointer. 

Another two-minute drought plagued the court, ultimately broken by a Walz jumper. Walz added a 3-pointer shortly after, and third-year Richmond forward Apostolos Roumoglou dropped in a layup for a 24-19 game. 

Watson added two at the line, and Nwaokorie and Quinn each hit threes before Richmond’s second-year guard Mikkel Tyne had a successful trip of his own. A jumper from Soulis and a deep three by Dawson kept the Ramblers at a 10-point advantage with just under three minutes remaining in the first half. 

White made two 3-pointers — the second resulting in a successful and-one opportunity — before Loyola called for a timeout with 32 seconds left on the clock. 

Walz ended the half with a last-second layup, sending the teams to the break with the Ramblers leading 34-31. 

Dawson opened the second half with a 3-pointer, which was followed immediately by another from Edwards Jr. Tyne added a layup to keep the Spiders in it, but another 3-pointer by Edwards Jr. slowed their momentum. 

Following a brief drought, Soulis rebounded his own miss — which was blocked by fourth-year forward Jalen DeLoach — and slammed a dunk, igniting a fire within the Spiders. 

White made a driving layup and fourth-year guard Jason Roche recorded a steal, which led to two straight Richmond misses. A jumper by Walz inched the Spiders closer, but a three-point play by Quinn kept the Ramblers ahead 46-39. 

Quinn drained an open three to further increase the Rambler lead. A subsequent Rubin jumper was followed by a 3-pointer and jumper by Walz. Additional layups from White and Tyne brought the score to 51-48 with just over six minutes left in regulation. 

Graduate forward Dusan Neskovic added two at the line for the Spiders and Walz grabbed the lead with a successful trip of his own. Watson got the lead back for Loyola with a three before graduate guard Jack D’Entremont tied it up at 57. 

Another Watson three gave the Ramblers back the lead, but back-to-back jumpers by Tyne and Neskovic put the Spiders in the driver’s seat. Watson and Neskovic traded jumpers before White added a layup to maintain the slight Richmond lead. 

With 24 seconds remaining, Dawson sank a three before both Richmond and Loyola came up short on their final opportunities, sending the squads into overtime — the third time for the Ramblers this season. 

Houinsou missed the first chance for points in the extra time. His missed free throw was quickly rebounded and put back by Watson. Walz added a jumper to the board before an Edwards Jr. three put the lead in Loyola’s hands.

Tyne added two at the line and Watson failed to capitalize on the extra point following an and-one layup. Walz brought the game within one with two free throws, but Edwards Jr. responded with another three to give the Ramblers a four-point advantage. 

Tyne made two more at the line while Edwards Jr. came up clutch with another three. Soon after Tyne responded with a 3-pointer of his own. Edwards Jr. stayed hot with another 3-pointer as on the next possession Tyne turned the ball over on a travel. 

Dawson made both shooting one-and-one at the line, and White added a layup before a timeout was called on the floor with 13 seconds left and the Ramblers ahead 83-78. 

Dawson took two more trips to the free-throw line and iced the game, making all four attempts, solidifying the 87-80 Rambler win. 

Head coach Drew Valentine said the team worked hard in the extra minutes to finally secure an overtime win. 

“Hats off to our guys for fighting through adversity,” Valentine said. “[Dawson, Watson and Edwards Jr.] all made big plays at the end and in overtime that really helped us find the momentum again that we had in the first half to win.” 

The Ramblers return to Gentile Arena for their next game against Saint Louis University Feb. 14. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., and the game can be streamed on ESPN2 or caught on the radio on Ramblers Sports Network.