Men’s Basketball Struggles Against St. Joseph’s

The Loyola men’s basketball team stumbled in their third conference game against St. Joseph’s University Jan. 11 in a 93-57 loss. Graduate guard Sheldon Edwards Jr. had a team-high 12 points for the Ramblers, while second-year guard Xzayvier Brown led the Hawks with 20 points. 

St. Joe’s third-year forward Rasheer Fleming started the game a minute in with a 3-point bucket before both teams recorded misses on their next possessions.

Fourth-year forward Jalen DeLoach dunked a lob from fourth-year guard Des Watson and was then called for a foul, sending graduate center Justice Ajogbor to the line, where he made both and gave the Hawks a 5-2 advantage.

A layup from Brown was followed with a minute-long scoring drought, halted by a dunk from Fleming. DeLoach made a layup before Fleming and Edwards Jr. traded 3-pointers to make it 12-7. 

Brown scored eight straight for the Hawks, sinking two 3-pointers and a layup. Edwards Jr. ended the run with a three of his own. 

Two back-and-forth consecutive scoring possessions maintained the gap, until Reynolds II broke away with a 3-pointer, giving the Hawks a 27-14 lead. 

The Hawks went on a 10-0 run with Reynolds II and Simpson each recording a three and a jumper. Watson broke the run with a jumper, but the Ramblers still trailed 37-16. 

Edwards Jr. and Reynolds II traded 3-pointers before redshirt first-year guard Dasear Haskins added four points with a layup and successful trip to the line. A tip-in by third-year guard Jalen Quinn and a DeLoach layup combatted a three from Fleming before misses plagued both teams. 

A tip-in from Rubin was met with a jumper from Reynolds II to keep the Hawks’ 24-point advantage. Simpson increased the gap after sinking a 3-pointer that was matched by Edwards Jr. at the end of the half, sending the Hawks into the break with a 53-29 lead. 

Rubin started the second quarter with a dunk off a lob from Watson. Two minutes passed, a Rambler miss and three Hawks turnovers later, Ajogbor made a dunk of his own to maintain the 24-point lead. 

Watson and Simpson traded layups and Watson added a three for the Ramblers. After a tip-in from fourth-year forward Francis Nwaokorie, a minute-long drought cursed the court, broken by a 3-pointer by second-year St. Joe’s forward Anthony Finkley. Another dry spell ensued for two and a half minutes, which was eventually ended by Brown with a driving layup.

Rubin made two at the line, which was cancelled out by a Fleming three. Dawson answered with a three of his own, but Haskins took it back with another 3-pointer for the Hawks. Rubin made a jumper in the paint, but he was immediately negated with a layup from Brown and a 70-45 score. 

After Brown converted on a three-point play, Finkley and Ajobgor added six more. The Hawks’ hot streak continued as Simpson drained two threes, increasing their lead to 38 points at 83-45.

Watson halted the Hawks’ extended run with a layup, followed by another from Dawson. Reynolds II and Dawson traded 3-pointers before Brown scored five points with a layup and three. 

First-year guard Daniil Glazkov made a 3-pointer while Nwaokorie and Haskins traded layups to end the game at 93-57, handing the Ramblers another loss.

Head coach Drew Valentine said St. Joe’s outplayed them, and the team still has a lot of work to do on both sides of the court and with teamwork. 

“They kicked our butts,” Valentine said. “We’ve gotta give those guys credit. They played like a team on a mission, and yet again, our guys were veering off and doing their own thing. Our execution on both sides of the ball was very poor.” 

The Ramblers next play in Gentile Arena against the University of Rhode Island Jan. 15. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. and the game can be streamed on CBS Sports Network.