Men’s Basketball Outwits Davidson 77-69

The Loyola men’s basketball team grabbed a 77-69 victory on the road over Davidson College Feb. 18. Third-year guard Jayden Dawson led the charge with 24 points, while third-year forward Reed Bailey was the Wildcat’s leading scorer with 19. 

Following the win, Loyola improves to 8-5 in conference play and 17-9 overall for the fourth-place spot in the Atlantic 10 conference. The Ramblers currently have the same conference record as the University of Dayton, who they’ll face in their next game Feb. 21. 

The Ramblers began the game with a steal by Dawson, who found fourth-year guard Des Watson for a driving layup to kick off a 12-2 opening run for Loyola. A driving layup and 3-pointer by Dawson, a dunk by second-year center Miles Rubin and a 3-pointer by graduate guard Sheldon Edwards Jr. contributed to the spree, while Bailey was the lone Wildcat with a layup. 

A three from first-year Davidson guard Roberts Blums scored the first three for the Wildcats, followed by another dunk by Rubin to keep the Ramblers moving at 14-5. Third-year guard Kymany Houinsou slammed a dunk of his own before redshirt second-year Wildcat guard Hunter Adams made one free throw at the line. 

Fourth-year forward Francis Nwaokorie made one at the line, and Bailey netted a jumper with the Ramblers ahead 17-11. 

Fifth-year Davidson guard Zach Laput broke the ice with a layup before another brief drought occurred, which was ended by a Bailey jumper. A three by Dawson was followed by a Bailey dunk before a timeout was called on the floor at 20-17. 

Bailey made one free throw and Rubin connected on a jumper. First-year Davidson forward Maine Joses completed a layup, while Laput drained a mid-range jumper on the next possession. Second-year Wildcat forward Bobby Durkin continued Davidson’s run with a jumper to take the lead 24-22. 

Rubin tied the game at 24 with another dunk before Edwards Jr. capitalized on a 3-pointer. Fourth-year forward Jalen DeLoach drove in a layup, which was negated by Adam at the line. 

Dawson made another three, and Adam closed out the first half with a tip-in layup, sending the teams into the locker rooms with the Ramblers ahead 32-28. 

Bailey scored the first points of the second half with a jumper, and Dawson completed a four-point play after being fouled during a made 3-pointer. Watson scored on a layup, and Rubin blocked a shot from Laput on the next possession to keep the Ramblers ahead 38-30. 

Rubin added one at the line before fifth-year Davidson guard Connor Kochera and Watson traded 3-pointers. 

Edwards Jr. drained a 3-pointer, which was ultimately canceled out by three free throws between Joses and Bailey. An inbounds pass under Loyola’s net was stolen by Housinsou setting up a dunk before Bailey added two more at the line to make it 49-48. 

Following a 3-pointer from Blums, DeLoach and Watson added five points with a jumper and a three. Laput and Bailey negated the Loyola points with a three and a successful trip on the next possessions. 

Rubin rebounded his own miss for a dunk before Joses scored six straight points with a 3-pointer and a three-point play. After a minute and a half of no scoring, Dawson completed another four-point play to put the Ramblers ahead 59-53.

Joses and Dawson each added one at the line before a Joses three. Kochera tied the game at 60 with a three-point play, but a Watson 3-pointer gave Loyola back the lead. Rubin was unable to take advantage of a free throw after drawing a foul while completing a layup, putting Loyola ahead 65-60 at the final media timeout. 

Watson stole a Davidson possession and made a layup before Kochera made one of his own. Hoinsou found Rubin for a dunk and added two at the line with just a minute remaining. 

Kochera made three at the line on two separate trips, while Edwards Jr. had a successful trip. Nwaokorie drew a foul while rebounding and made both free throws to give the Ramblers a 77-67 lead. Laput scored the final points of the game with a layup, ensuring the Loyola victory.

Head coach Drew Valentine said the team performed well on the court, specifically with their defense which allowed them to gain an early advantage on the Wildcats. 

“I thought we did a good job on our transition offense and had solid early looks whether it was from three or two,” Valentine said. “Defense is our identity and we had a handful with Reed Bailey, but, overall, I think we made Davidson inefficient.”

The Ramblers intend to maintain their current three-game win streak against the University of Dayton Friday, Feb. 21 in Gentile Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and Rambler Sports Network.