Men’s Basketball Loses Fifth Straight to Northern Illinois

Loyola men’s basketball dropped their fifth straight game against Northern Illinois University Nov. 21. The Huskies, led by first-year guard Dylan Ducommun with 24 points, outscored the Ramblers 76-59. Third-year center Miles Rubin scored a team high 16 points for Loyola. 

A defeated Drew Valentine — men’s basketball head coach — said he’s “incredibly disappointed” with the team and how they’ve been playing on the court. 

“They came in here and kicked our butts,” Drew Valentine said. “I gotta do a better job of figuring out who to play, who to sub and how to play with this group because I’m clearly not doing a good job.” 

Rubin won the opening tip for the Ramblers, which immediately went out of bounds. Ducommun snagged the pass in and sank a three to get the Huskies on the board. Rubin received a pass from redshirt third-year guard Justin Moore and slammed a dunk for Loyola’s first points. 

First-year guard Chuck Love III and third-year guard Deywilk Tavarez each added a 3-pointer to give the Ramblers an 8-3 lead. Ducommun shrank the lead with a three of his own, and Northern Illinois’ second-year guard Makhai Valentine tied it up at eight with a dunk. 

Another Tavarez three gave Loyola the lead back and Love III added a layup. After this possession, the Ramblers wouldn’t be in the lead for the rest of the game, a repeating pattern Drew Valentine has noticed. 

“We start off the game in a good spot, before the first media timeout,” Drew Valentine said. “As soon as somebody punches us in the mouth, we just roll over.” 

A punch in the mouth is exactly what Northern Illinois delivered as third-year forward Hassan Washington drained a three and Ducommun added eight points to the board — two 3-pointers and a layup — while the Ramblers only added a three from fourth-year forward Joshua Ola-Joseph. 

Two consecutive layups from first-year Huskies guard Carlos Coronado added fuel to the fire before first-year guard Nic Anderson tamed it with a layup. Coronado then sank a three. 

Makhai Valentine added two at the line, which Moore combated with a 3-pointer. Northern Illinois’ first-year guard Taj Walters hit a 3-pointer on the next possession, claiming an 11-point lead against Loyola at 32-21. 

Rubin, Walters and Moore each scored on layups before a minute of scoreless play. Rubin broke through with a dunk, and Moore hit a three, prompting a Northern Illinois timeout with just over five minutes left to play in the first half. 

Makhai Valentine hit a three before first-year Huskies forward Gustav Winther sent in a layup to make it 39-30. Second-year guard Kayde Dotson made a three of his own to decrease the Huskies’ lead. 

A two minute drought plagued the court before Makhai Valentine drained a 3-pointer. Dotson attempted to cancel it out, but missed his and-one chance. A dunk from Rubin ended the first half with Loyola trailing 42-37. 

Tavarez opened the second half with a layup and Rubin added two at the line a minute later to bring it within a point. A jumper from Washington and a three from Makhai Valentine kept Northern Illinois ahead as a Rubin layup tried to even the score. Winther drained a 3-pointer before the Ramblers called a timeout. 

Northern Illinois’ second-year guard Gianni Cobb and Makhai Valentine scored field goals, which Dotson combatted with a layup. Makhai Valentine and Ducommun scored on the next consecutive possession, forcing another Rambler timeout. 

Following a three minute scoring drought where Northern Illinois maintained possession, third-year Huskies guard Jao Ituka hit a three to make it a 64-45 game. 

Rubin scored the first points for the Ramblers in five minutes with a layup before Walters added two at the line. Anderson came back with a 3-pointer, decreasing Northern Illinois’ lead to 16. 

Makhai Valentine added two at the line before Northern Illinois’ third-year guard Daemar Kelly stole the Loyola possession and hit a fast-break layup. Rubin combated with a layup of his own, but Washington snuck through with a dunk to keep Northern Illinois’ lead at 20. 

Tavarez took a successful trip to the line before hitting a 3-pointer with just under three minutes left to play. Ducommun added another layup to the board before Walters scored the final points of the game with two free throws, giving the Huskies a 76-59 win.

As the Ramblers prepare for their next string of games in the Acrisure Series in Palm Springs, Calif., Drew Valentine said the biggest thing the team needs to work on is rebounding. 

“We can’t win games if we’re going to rebound the way that we are,” Drew Valentine said. “I think we’re one of the worst — if not the worst — rebounding team in the country from the offensive and defensive side.” 

The Ramblers play their first game of the Acrisure Series against the University of Northern Iowa Nov. 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. and can be watched on CBS Sports Network or listened to on Rambler Sports Network.