Fouls Hit Men’s Basketball Hard in 92-90 Red Line Rivalry Loss

The Loyola men’s basketball team lost in an overtime exhibition game against Red Line rival DePaul University 92-90 Oct. 19. A total of six players across both squads fouled out, prompting 82 free throw attempts between both teams. 

Redshirt third-year guard Justin Moore led the Ramblers in his return, dropping 26 points and six assists, while DePaul’s redshirt third-year guard RJ Smith scored 18 points, seven of which came from his trips to the line. 

Third-year center Miles Rubin got the game started after winning the tipoff, giving the Ramblers possession. Moore scored the first points of the game with a jumper 15 seconds in. 

DePaul’s fourth-year guard CJ Gunn responded on DePaul’s next possession with a jumper. After a foul was called on fourth-year forward Joshua Ola-Joseph, Gunn took the lead for the Blue Demons with a three. 

Ola-Joseph evened the game at five with a three of his own, following a plethora of misses from fourth-year guard Kymany Houinsou. Gunn responded with another three, reclaiming the lead for DePaul at 8-5. 

Third-year guard Deywilk Tavarez tied it at eight with a three with just over 16 minutes remaining in the first half. Moore gave the Ramblers the lead with a transition three at 11-8. 

After a single free throw made by DePaul’s fourth-year forward NJ Benson, Tavarez banked another three, which was combated by two free throws from DePaul’s fourth-year forward Kaleb Banks. Second-year Daniil Glazkov built on the momentum, sinking a 3-pointer and putting the Ramblers ahead at 17-11. 

A dunk from DePaul’s second-year center Khaman Maker began a two-minute scoring drought for both teams. Moore ended the drought with a jumper to keep Loyola’s lead at 19-13. 

Glazkov and Smith each stole possession before Smith made two out of three free throws after being fouled by Tavarez. Tavarez and Smith traded threes before a Glazkov jumper. DePaul’s second-year forward Theo Pierre-Justin made a 3-pointer, and DePaul’s third-year guard Layden Blocker made one at the line to even the score at 25. 

Pierre-Justin took the lead for the Blue Demons with a free throw. Rubin scored on a layup, and Blocker made a dunk to keep the DePaul advantage at 28-27. Second-year guard Kayde Dotson gave the lead back to the Ramblers with two made free throws, which was short-lived as DePaul’s third-year guard Ilija Milijasevic made a free throw, and Gunn sank a three for a 32-29 score with under three minutes left in the first half. 

Fourth-year center Alexander Richardson made a free throw, and Moore made two himself, tying the game at 32. Third-year Blue Demon forward Jeremy Lorenz brought the lead back to DePaul for 20 seconds as Moore snagged the lead back with a 3-pointer. Banks tied it with a layup before DePaul called a timeout with a 35-point tied game. 

Lorenz made one at the line after a foul by Houinsou. Two attempts by Rubin failed to go in, and Maker made a free throw for DePaul, giving the Blue Demons a two-point lead. A block from Maker ended the first half at 37-35 in favor of DePaul. 

Rubin and Ola-Joseph started the second half with a pair of layups. Dotson attempted a three and missed, but Rubin was there to catch the rebound and lay it in for a 41-37 lead. 

The Ramblers kept cooking with a 3-pointer by Ola-Joseph and two consecutive blocks from Rubin. Gunn scored the first points of the half for DePaul off a second-chance layup at 44-39. 

Ola-Joseph added two at the line before Lorenz added one, keeping a six-point gap between the two teams. Ola-Joseph and Gunn each received a technical foul off a deadball and Lorenz made a layup to close the gap to 46-42 at the first timeout. 

After a travel by Banks, Moore and first-year guard Chuck Love III added five points with a mid-range jumper and a 3-pointer, respectively. Banks narrowed the Loyola lead to 51-44 after a layup. 

Blocker made one at the line before a Richardson layup. Blocker was sent back to the line again — where he made one — after being fouled by Moore. Love was fouled on a 3-pointer attempt and made two free throws at the line for a 55-46 Rambler advantage. 

Richardson drew a foul after blocking Banks’ attempt, allowing him to score two free throws. Rubin counteracted with a layup but missed his and-one attempt after being fouled by Maker. 

Banks made two at the line, which Rubin combated with a layup. Gunn was the first player to foul out of the game after interference with Rubin’s make. He made the and-one and gave Loyola a 10 point advantage at 60-50 with 11 minutes remaining in the half. 

Smith stole the ball out of Loyola’s possession and found Milijasevic on a breakaway, who slammed a dunk, prompting a Loyola timeout. 

Banks closed the gap with a layup, but Houinsou responded with a 3-pointer before a steal and a slam. Benson added a layup for the Blue Demons to make it 65-56. 

Smith drained a 3-pointer and fourth-year Blue Demon guard Brandon Maclin sauced a pass to Benson for a dunk, inching closer to the Loyola lead. Moore failed to capitalize on a three-point play after being fouled by Blocker, and — not even 10 seconds later — Glazkov fouled out of the game, giving away two more points to DePaul off of Smith free throws. 

DePaul stole the next two Loyola possessions, resulting in a dunk by Blocker and a three from Smith, giving DePaul the lead and prompting a Loyola timeout. 

Tavarez reclaimed the lead with two free throws, and Smith tied it at 69 with a free throw. Ola-Joseph made two on his trip to the line, and Moore made a jumper to give the Ramblers some breathing room at the final timeout, up 73-69. 

Just over a minute of misses occurred for both teams before Rubin broke through with a layup. Tavarez drew a foul, resulting in two made free throws by Smith. A missed attempt from Houinsou was picked up by Ola-Joseph, who slammed it in for a 77-71 Loyola lead. 

Rubin drew a foul on Benson as he was driving for a layup and completed a three-point play. Rubin hit a jumper and — with a minute left to play in regulation — Houinsou fouled out. Maclin wasn’t able to capitalize on each of his attempts, but Moore was on the following possession, giving Loyola an 80-74 lead with 35 seconds left. 

Following a Blocker dunk, DePaul called a timeout down by four. Dotson turned over the ball, giving Blocker an open layup chance, where he was fouled by Rubin and made the and-one. Rubin gave the Ramblers an inch of comfort, making one of two at the line.

Moore fouled Blocker, who gave DePaul the two points to tie the game at 81 and send it into overtime. 

Maclin scored the first points in overtime with two free throws. Moore tied it after making two free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. Blocker and Moore traded jumpers before Blocker fouled out of the game on Moore’s attempt. Moore made the and-one, giving Loyola an 86-85 lead. 

A Smith layup switched the lead to DePaul before Dotson fouled out of the game. Ola-Joseph slammed a dunk before drawing a foul with 58 seconds left. Benson made his two attempts, and Lorenz made one on his trip, leaving DePaul ahead 90-88. 

Moore scored the final Rambler points with 18 seconds left with a layup. Benson added two at the line after being fouled by Love to take the advantage. 

With the clock ticking down, Tavarez threw in the ball for the last Loyola possession right into the hands of Lorenz, ending the game 92-90 as the Blue Demons ran out the clock. 

The Ramblers continue exhibition play against St. Francis Tuesday, Oct. 28, with a 7 p.m. tipoff. There is no streaming available for the game, due to it being an exhibition match.