‘We’re not playing inspired basketball right now’: Valentine and Co. Drop Fourth Loss to Colorado State

Loyola men’s basketball was handed their fourth consecutive loss against Colorado State University Nov. 16 in an 80-67 offensive struggle. Redshirt third-year Justin Moore took charge for the Ramblers, scoring 13 points, and Colorado State’s second-year forward Kyle Jorgensen claimed the game high 15. 

Third-year center Miles Rubin’s three blocked shots against the Rams got him to 177 blocks in his career, tabbing him as the all-time career blocks leader at Loyola. 

This was the second all-time meet-up between the teams and the first of a home-and-home series, as the Ramblers will head to Fort Collins, Colo. next season. The series was spearheaded by both head coach Drew Valentine and Colorado State’s head coach Ali Farokhmanesh, who have known each other for a while, according to Valentine. 

Valentine said his relationship with the Rams’ coaching staff helped the team prepare for the game. 

“Our guys knew who they were learning, and we did a decent job with some of their stuff,” Valentine said. “I think the familiarity with the personnel maybe helped us for our guys to feel confident out there.” 

A string of misses started the game as Jorgensen hit a 3-pointer two minutes in for the first bucket of the game. Three more misses on each side came before Colorado State’s fourth-year guard Jevin Muniz hit a layup. 

Rubin got the Ramblers on the board with a dunk, followed by a 3-pointer from fourth-year forward Joshua Ola-Joseph to tie the game at five. 

Jorgensen and first-year guard Chuck Love III traded threes before Colorado State’s second-year guard Jase Butler and Moore traded threes, increasing the tie to 11. Two minutes later, a Muniz three went unanswered from the Ramblers, giving the Rams the 14-11 advantage. 

Loyola didn’t score a point for the next three minutes while Colorado State added three points — a free throw from first-year forward Jojo McIver and a Jorgensen layup. Love III broke the Rambler drought with a layup, and Moore got them closer to the lead with a floater. 

A 7-0 run flew the Rams ahead as Jorgensen and third-year forward Auggie Kiudulas each made a layup, and third-year guard Josh Pascarelli made a three. Two made at the line from third-year guard Deywilk Tavarez ended the four-minute-long Loyola drought, bringing the game to 24-17 with under four minutes left in the half. 

The Rams went on another scoring run with Pascarelli sinking a 3-pointer, third-year forward Carey Booth sending in a layup and another Jorgensen three, increasing their lead to 32-17. Moore made two free throws to Booth’s one before taking another successful trip, shrinking the lead at halftime to 33-21. 

Valentine said the performance of the team in the first half wasn’t where it needed to be, and the Ramblers needed to step up going into the second half. 

“I thought in the first half our offensive pace was terrible,” Valentine said. “We didn’t look like we knew what the heck was going on.” 

Colorado State’s third-year guard Brandon Rechsteiner opened the second half with a three before Tavarez and Pascarelli traded layups. First-year guard Nic Anderson hit a jumper, which was cancelled out by two made at the line from Booth. 

Muniz drained a 3-pointer before fourth-year center Alexander Richardson made one at the line. Another three from Rechsteiner gave the Rams a 20-point advantage at 46-26. 

Rubin’s successful trip to the line was counteracted by a Pascarelli 3-pointer. Second-year guard Kayde Dotson made two free throws before Butler drained a three. A dunk from Richardson made it a 52-30 game. 

Kiudulas and Booth each had successful trips to the line, which gave the Rams their largest lead of the game, ahead by 26. Second-year guard Daniil Glazkov put the Ramblers back in the game with a 3-pointer before Tavarez completed a three-point play. 

A layup by Kiudulas kept the Rams up with breathing room, and Rechsteiner and Love III traded threes. A Rechsteiner layup on the next Colorado State possession was matched with a 3-pointer from fourth-year guard Caleb Reese before Rechsteiner and Love III each made a layup. 

Booth made two free throws, which Moore cancelled out on the next possession with a three-point play. Kiudulas made two free throws, and Rubin made three before Love III fouled out of the game. 

After a Booth dunk and a successful trip from Rechsteiner, Rubin slammed a dunk to decrease Colorado State’s lead to 21 with just over four minutes left to play. 

A 6-0 run from the Ramblers — consisting of a Moore free throw, an Ola-Joseph dunk and a 3-pointer from graduate guard Donimick Harris — gave the Ramblers a bit of a boost, which McIver crushed with a three of his own. 

During the play, Ola-Joseph went down with what looked to be a leg injury. Valentine confirmed after the game Ola-Joseph claimed it was a cramp and nothing serious. 

Glazkov scored on a 3-pointer as Jorgensen hit a jumper. Harris added another three to the board before Butler made two at the line. A 3-pointer from Dotson ended the night as Colorado State went home with a 80-67 victory.

Valentine said he was frustrated the team didn’t execute what he felt was a strong game plan, despite being prepared. 

“Obviously, we’re not really playing the most inspired basketball right now,” Valentine said. “But the positive with that is you are in control of your effort, your energy, your spirit, your want to win. That’s where we’re at right now — the guys really, really want to win.” 

The Ramblers remain at home for their next game against Northern Illinois University Friday, Nov. 21. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game can be streamed on Marquee Sports Network or listened to on Ramblers Sports Network.