Men’s Basketball Steamrolls Over Goshen College 115-64

The Loyola men’s basketball team returned to Gentile Arena Dec. 9 where they routed the Maple Leafs of Goshen College 115-64. 

All 15 members of the Ramblers checked in during the game with fourth-year forward Philip Alston leading the way scoring 25 points in just over 16 minutes of playing time. Second-year guard Jayden Dawson followed his career-high scoring performance against the University of Tulsa Dec. 5 with 14 and four assists in his first career start. 

The win helps get Loyola back on track after falling short 88-77 on the road after getting out-shot by Tulsa. With the loss, the Maple Leafs fell to 0-10 on the season. 

Alston got the game going with three quick buckets inside, single-handedly setting up a 6-0 Rambler lead. A corner three by Dawson helped give Loyola a commanding 13-3 lead at the first official timeout. 

Graduate guard Greg Dolan and graduate forward Dame Adelekun both hit three-pointers while second-year Goshen guard Karson Jenkins tried his best to keep pace, making two threes of his own to make it 20-10. 

Strong guard play from Dawson and graduate guard Braden Norris and Maple Leaf turnovers helped Loyola create 15 points of separation going into the under-eight official timeout. The Ramblers exploited their height advantage and continued to feed Alston and Adelekun down low, with the help of a Dolan three, they put Loyola up 42-21. 

First-year center Miles Rubin proved why he is amongst the nation’s top shot blockers when he sent back two shots by fourth-year Maple Leaf center Quincy Mussio on the possession. Breaking off a Goshen turnover, Norris tossed a perfect lob for Dawson who raucously finished the alley-oop, slamming it home to put the Ramblers up 53-24. 

Second-year guard Jalen Quinn added to the onslaught after he converted on an and-one. Norris then threw another lob, this time to redshirt second-year forward Ben Schweiger who couldn’t finish at the rim but maintained control of the ball. Schweiger dished it back out to Norris for a three which extended the Rambler lead to 56-24. 

Jenkins picked up four for the Maple Leafs on two quick layups but Goshen found themselves staring at a 58-28 deficit going into the halftime break. 

Loyola picked up four fouls in the first three minutes of half. Both offenses found success as Goshen added 10 points in the first four minutes while the Ramblers outpaced them scoring 16 off the back of 10 quick points from Alston. 

Strong defense by fourth-year guard Sheldon Edwards caused first-year Goshen center Kevin Cota to lose control of the ball. Edwards capitalized, scooping up the loose ball and taking it all the way to the rack for an open slam dunk to put Loyola ahead 76-41. 

Redshirt first-year Trey Lewis got significant playing time for the first time this season and took advantage of the opportunity. He got going with a three in the corner making it 82-42 and went on to finish with a career-high 10 points.

Edwards heated up and hit two three-point shots on back-to-back possessions, increasing the Ramblers’ score to double that of the Maple Leafs at 88-44. Schweiger got involved when he arced it to Rubin for a two-hand alley oop slam then made it 92-46 when he drove the baseline and hung on the rim after a dunk of his own.

First-year Goshen guard DJ Bryant scored on an alley-oop, bringing the deficit to 95-48. With just under nine minutes to play, head coach Drew Valentine went deep into his bench as the Ramblers neared 100 points. 

Second-year guard Caleb Reese drove the lane to pick up six quick points, but it was Schweiger who put the Ramblers in triple figures after driving to the rim to make it 101-53. 

Reese, who played a season high eight minutes, said it felt great to get out and see some action.

“Getting to run, getting out there with my guys after going against them every single day,” he said. “They make me better every single day, so I’m thankful for them and just for being out there on the court, it feels amazing.”

Redshirt second-year guard Will Smythe got in on the fun and got the Loyola bench on their feet when he watched a defender fly by after pump faking and put up a nothing-but-net three.

The Ramblers scored 11 down the stretch while Goshen pushed the pace and played hard until the very end. Loyola closed out their victory 115-64. 

Valentine said games like these are key for learning how mature a group of players truly are. He said he thought it was awesome for the guys further down the bench to get into the game and make an impact as they “pour into our program so much.”

“Those are the guys we are counting on everyday to guard us the way the opponent guards us and run the same plays the opponent does and execute that,” he said. “It’s mentally taxing for those guys and for them to get rewarded with playing time today was super fun for me to do.” 

The Ramblers are back in action Tuesday, Dec. 19 when they welcome Charleston Southern University to Gentile Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Featured image by Holden Green | The Phoenix