Men’s Basketball Picks Up Second Loss After Mean Green Buzzer-Beater

Loyola men’s basketball dropped their second consecutive game to the University of North Texas Nov. 9. A buzzer-beater jumper from fourth-year Mean Green forward Dylan Arnett sealed the deal with a 64-62 Loyola loss. 

North Texas’ second-year guard Je’Shawn Stevenson led the Mean Green with 23 points while first-year guard Chuck Love III scored a measly Rambler high of 12. 

Redshirt third-year Justin Moore got the game started for the Ramblers with a layup, which Stevenson immediately cancelled out with a 3-pointer. Stevenson added to the score with two made at the line to keep the Mean Green in the lead. 

Two at the line by Moore were negated by a jumper from Arnett. A minute of turnovers plagued both teams before Stevenson broke through with a layup and a dunk, giving North Texas the 11-4 advantage. 

Two minutes of scoreless play silenced the court, consisting of misses and turnovers from each team. Fourth-year forward Alexander Richardson ended the drought with a free throw before Stevenson drove in a layup. 

North Texas’ fourth-year forward Josiah Shackleford hit a jumper to increase the Mean Green lead to 10, but a layup from second-year guard Kayde Dotson kept the Ramblers in the game. Fourth-year guard Kymany Houinsou added one at the line before Dotson hit a 3-pointer, making it a four-point game at 15-11. 

A layup from Arnett was cancelled out by two made at the line from Moore. First-year Mean Green guard Curtis Stinson Jr. made a layup before Houinsou added one at the line for Loyola, prompting another two-minute drought. 

North Texas’ first-year guard EJ Horton ended the scoreless period with a free throw as Love III made a layup off an offensive rebound from third-year guard Deywilk Tavarez. Moore added one at the line to make it 20-17 in favor of North Texas. 

Shackleford drove in a layup before Stevenson made two at the line. Just under a minute later, Love III drained a 3-pointer to give the Ramblers hope. A minute-and-a-half later, fourth-year Mean Green guard Will McClendon made six at the line to keep North Texas ahead 30-20. 

North Texas’ second-year forward Reece Robinson and McClendon each made two at the line for the final points of the half, sending North Texas into the locker room with the 14-point advantage at 34-20. 

The Ramblers picked up momentum in the second half with third-year center Miles Rubin scoring on a layup and jumper. Moore got the ball after a steal from Houinsou and drained a three, and Tavarez made a layup, decreasing the Mean Green lead to five. 

Stevenson slammed a dunk on a fastbreak, receiving a pass from Arnett, which he stole from Moore. Tavarez countered with a jumper and a subsequent and-one. With the addition of a Rubin free throw, the Ramblers were within three of the Mean Green at 36-33. 

McClendon and Houinsou traded free throws, and Stevenson and Dotson made consecutive 3-pointers. Two free throws from Tavarez put Loyola within one, but McClendon increased the lead with a 3-pointer. 

A layup from Tavarez and a tip-in from Love III tied the game at 43. Love III was fouled on his tip-in and made the subsequent and-one, giving Loyola their first lead since the beginning of the game.

Another tip-in from Love III kept the Loyola momentum going. Arnett scored on a layup, which Love III cancelled out with his own. Arnett then made a jumper, which was again cancelled out, this time with two Tavarez free throws. 

A minute-and-a-half drought went by before Dotson drained two free throws. North Texas’ third-year guard David Terrell Jr. and fourth-year forward Joshua Ola-Joseph traded threes to keep Loyola ahead 55-50. 

A layup from Robinson prompted a Loyola timeout. Stevenson made three at the line, tying the game at 55. Rubin and Stevenson traded layups before Rubin gave the Ramblers the lead again with a successful trip to the line. 

Terrell Jr. made one at the line, prompting another Loyola timeout with just over a minute left to play. 

Terrell Jr. had a successful trip to the line, giving the Mean Green the lead once again before extending it with a layup. After Love III’s 3-pointer attempt was blocked, the Ramblers called another timeout with 11 seconds to play. 

Dotson added one at the line, and Robinson missed his chance on the next North Texas possession. With three seconds to go, Houinsou drove in a layup, tying the game at 62. 

With the final possession of the game, North Texas’ third-year guard Cole Franklin sent a pass to Arnett. At the top of the key, Rubin’s block failed and Arnett made a jumper just as the buzzer rang, signaling a 64-62 win for the Mean Green.  

Head coach Drew Valentine said the team was shaken by the loss against Mercyhurst University Nov. 6 and was fearful of making mistakes, but he was proud of their push in the second half. 

“We came out,and we were initiators in the second half,” Valentine said. “Hopefully we continue to do that. We had a lot of spirit, heart and life in the second half. I’m proud of that fight.” 

The Ramblers travel to former Missouri Valley Conference rival Wichita State University Nov. 13. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and streaming information has yet to be released.