Men’s Basketball Shocked by 95-74 Loss Against Wichita State

Loyola men’s basketball faced former Missouri Valley Conference opponent Wichita State University Nov. 13 in a 95-74 Shocker beatdown. Third-year guard Deywilk Tavarez led the charge for the Ramblers, dropping 16 points in the matchup, while Wichita State’s fourth-year guard Kenyon Giles scored a game-high 24. 

In their nine matchups against the Shockers, the Ramblers have yet to win a game. Their first meet-up dates back to 2014, with Wichita State now outscoring the Ramblers 689-540 all-time. This was their most recent meeting since 2017. 

On the first Loyola possession, Tavarez sank a 3-pointer, which Giles quickly repeated to even the score at three. Another three from Tavarez reclaimed the Loyola lead. 

A jumper from Wichita State’s redshirt third-year Will Berg was met with a layup from fourth-year guard Kymany Houinsou, keeping the lead in the hands of the Ramblers. 

After misses on both sides, Wichita State’s redshirt first-year TJ Williams drove in a layup and made the and-one to even the game at eight. Two free throws from fourth-year Shocker forward Karon Boyd were cancelled out by a layup from fourth-year center Alexander Richardson on the next possession. 

Wichita State’s fourth-year guard Michael Gray Jr. drained two consecutive 3-pointers to reclaim the Shocker lead. Redshirt third-year Justin Moore made two at the line to bring the Ramblers closer, but a three-point play by Wichita State’s redshirt third-year forward Jaret Valencia kept the advantage with the Shockers. 

Giles made two 3-pointers before just under a minute of scoreless play, which was broken by Wichita State’s fourth-year forward Emmanuel Okorafor’s layup, making it a 27-12 game.

Moore and Giles traded 3-pointers before fourth-year guard Joshua Ola-Joseph made two at the line. A tip-in from Valencia prompted another minute of scoreless play. 

To break the drought, Houinsou drove up the court after a defensive rebound and sent in a layup, which third-year Shocker guard counteracted with a layup of his own. Third-year center Miles Rubin made two at the line to decrease Wichita State’s lead to 13 points at 34-21. 

Two free throws from Moore prompted another scoring drought, broken by Boyd with a three. First-year guard Chuck Love III added on to Loyola’s score with two free throws. Berg added one at the line for the Shockers to maintain their 13 point lead. 

Houinsou drained a three, and first-year guard Nic Anderson made one at the line before a layup and 3-pointer by Boyd increased the Wichita State lead. Berg’s successful trip to the line added fuel to the Shockers before Okorafor made a fastbreak layup for a 47-29 Shockers’ lead. 

Rubin sent in a layup and a dunk before Valencia added one at the line. Third-year Shocker guard Dre Kindell made a layup with eight seconds remaining, but a Tavarez 3-pointer ended the half with the Ramblers still trailing 50-36. 

Tavarez opened the second half with a 3-pointer and a subsequent free throw before Giles made three at the line after being fouled by Moore. Rubin counteracted with a jumper on the next possession, decreasing Wichita State’s lead to 11 points at 53-42. 

A tip-in from Berg came before back-to-back Love III 3-pointers. Berg hit a layup and a dunk consecutively before Giles sank a three, reclaiming Wichita State’s 14 point lead over the Ramblers. 

Giles made two more 3-pointers, and Okorafor sent in a layup, increasing Wichita State’s lead to 22 points. 

Second-year guard Kayde Dotson attempted to bring Loyola back into the game with a layup, but a jumper from Wichita State’s second-year guard Brian Amuneke cancelled it out. Tavarez then cut into the lead with a 3-pointer. 

A Rubin layup followed by a Gray Jr. 3-pointer and an Okorafor layup — which occurred after a Rubin turnover — kept Wichita State ahead 77-55. 

Moore drained a 3-pointer, and Rubin added on with a dunk to decrease the lead. Kindell stopped the brief Loyola run with a three, maintaining the 20 point Wichita State lead. 

Gray Jr. and Love III traded threes before Dotson and Berg traded field goals. Kindell scored on a 3-pointer while Love III slammed a dunk to give the Ramblers three minutes to defeat the 21 point Shocker advantage. 

Two at the line and a 3-pointer from Gray Jr. increased Wichita State’s lead, and Kindrell added to the blowout with a layup. Anderson stopped the bleeding with a layup of his own before Loyola called a timeout. 

Misses plagued both sides for a minute until Anderson scored two at the line. Ola-Joseph scored the last points of the game with two layups, but it wasn’t enough as Wichita State came out victorious once again with a 95-74 final score. 

The Ramblers now sit with a 1-3 record on the season. Head coach Drew Valentine said this wasn’t a good team performance, and the team needs to get their head in the game. 

“We clearly didn’t execute our game plan tonight,” Valentine said. “Our team needs to have more urgency. Hopefully, this is a wakeup call, and we remember who we play for and what Loyola represents.” 

The Ramblers return home for their next matchup against Colorado State University Nov. 16, in the first showing of a home-and-home series. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. and can be streamed on Marquee Sports Network.