Loyola Men’s Basketball falls to George Mason in Overtime

The Loyola men’s basketball team fell to George Mason University 58-53 after trailing most of the game. Fourth-year forward Francis Nwaokorie led the Ramblers with 11 points, while George Mason’s fourth-year forward Jalen Haynes was the top scorer for the Patriots with 14 points. 

Fourth-year guard Des Watson got on the board first with a 3-pointer after the Patriots won the tipoff. A 3-pointer by third-year guard Jalen Quinn and a Haynes dunk gave the Ramblers a 5-3 lead. 

The Patriots added a layup by third-year forward Giovanni Emerjuru, and the Ramblers continued their hot shooting with another three from graduate guard Sheldon Edwards Jr. 

George Mason’s fourth-year guard Jared Billups attempted a jumper and was fouled in the process by second-year center Miles Rubin, he hit both free throws at the line. On the next possession, fourth-year guard Darius Maddox converted on another two free throws for an 11-10 Patriot lead.

A Watson jumper kicked off a quick back-and-forth — Haynes finished a layup before Nwaokorie tied the game at 15 with a 3-pointer.

First-year Patriot guard Justin Begg got on the board with five straight points off a layup and a 3-pointer. Graduate George Mason guard Zach Anderson scored on a jumper to put the Patriots up 22-15. Nwaokorie added two free throws before a driving layup by third-year guard Brayden O’Connor closed out the half 24-17. 

Loyola took an early initiative in the second half, bringing the Ramblers back within five with a Rubin layup. On the other end, Anderson received an and-one call after dropping in a layup, but he was unable to convert the free throw.

The Patriots continued their momentum with a Haynes driving layup, putting them up by nine. The Ramblers got two back after a jumper by Quinn, who hit a lone free throw shortly after. 

Third-year guard Kymany Houinsou snagged two points with a layup. The sides traded 3-pointers — one from Begg and one from Nwaokorie — before Begg added a layup for a 33-27 score. 

With 12 minutes left in the game, George Mason scored again with a layup by Haynes off an opponent turnover. Out of a media timeout, Nwaokorie hit a 3-pointer and DeLoach finished a layup to bring the Ramblers within three. Billups responded with a three-point shot to keep the Patriots ahead at 38-32. 

Single free throws by Dawson and Rubin came after a flurry of fouls, after which Haynes scored four straight, forcing Loyola to call a timeout.

Rubin retaliated with a second-chance dunk, making it 42-36, before George Mason called a timeout. Out of the timeout, Billups made a jumper, and Rubin rose to the rim again for an alley-oop dunk.

With seven minutes remaining, Watson finished a second-chance layup, and Emerjuru tipped in a layup on the other end to separate the sides by six.

A quick steal by Rubin reached Houinsou for a driving layup, tightening the gap to 46-42. A free throw by Johnson narrowly re-extended the Patriots’ lead to seven.

O’Connor hit a jumper before two quick scores by DeLoach — a layup and an intense dunk — put Loyola three points away from a tie. 

With just over a minute left, Houinsou converted an and-one layup and hit the following free throw to tie the game. Two missed shots by the Ramblers  were unable to win it as the sides entered overtime.

Haynes started overtime with a jumper, and Watson hit two free throws on the other end.

After being fouled by Dawson on a jumper, Johnson made one free throw, making it 56-53.

A last chance foul from Houinsou allowed Johnson to add two more at the line, capping a 58-53 final score and a George Mason win.

Head coach Drew Valentine said the team had a competitive spirit, despite the loss. 

“Gotta give credit to George Mason,” Valentine said. “They’re having an incredible season so far. We’re never thrilled when we lose, obviously, but I felt like our competitive mindset was there tonight. It’s what I’ve been wanting to see all year, and they didn’t give up. Today’s going to be a great learning moment for us moving forward.”

Next, the Ramblers take on St. Bonaventure Tuesday, Feb. 4 in Gentile Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. and can be streamed on CBS Sports Network.