Men’s Basketball Finishes Non-Con Slate with Santa Clara Win

Loyola’s men’s basketball team concluded their non-conference slate with an 80-78 win over Santa Clara University Dec. 20. Second-year guard Kayde Dotson dropped a career-high 26 points in the victory, while Santa Clara’s redshirt second-year guard Christian Hammond followed close behind with 25. 

Santa Clara’s fourth-year forward Elijah Mahi got the game started a minute and a half in with a jumper, which fourth-year forward Xavier Amos met with a 3-pointer to take a short-lived lead. Hammond drove in a layup, and Amos completed a three-point play to get the Ramblers ahead by two. 

Two minutes of scoreless play went by before redshirt third-year Justin Moore and redshirt first-year guard Sash Gavalyugov traded threes. Dotson made two at the line, and third-year guard Deywilk Tavarez added a three for a 14-7 Loyola lead. 

Another Tavarez three was met with five consecutive points from Gavalyugov with a jumper and a 3-pointer. A steal from Gavalyugov found Mahi for a three, decreasing Loyola’s lead to 17-15. 

Fourth-year center Alexander Richardson hit a tip-in, followed by a Dotson jumper. A jumper from Moore was met with a three from Santa Clara’s redshirt third-year guard Jake Ensminger. Another steal and score from Mahi plagued the Ramblers, and the Broncos made it a one-point game with a jumper from Hammond. Amos kept the Ramblers ahead with another tip-in. 

Hammond kept the game close with a good jumper before fourth-year guard Kymany Houinsou took a successful trip to the line to keep the gap at three. Another Hammond jumper brought the game within a point before two free throws from Hammond gave the advantage to the Broncos. 

Dotson gave the lead back to the Ramblers with a three before Houinsou and Santa Clara’s first-year guard KJ Cochran traded field goals. Mahi tied the game with a layup, and third-year Broncos guard Thierry Darlan hit a 3-pointer to take the 35-32 lead, forcing a Loyola timeout. 

A single Moore free throw and a Richardson dunk tied the game again, but Hammond kept the lead in favor of the Broncos with a layup. A successful trip to the line from Dotson tied the game again, and he sent in a layup to reclaim the lead. 

A lone free throw from Santa Clara’s redshirt fourth-year guard Brenton Knapper and a Hammond jumper gave Santa Clara the lead with just under a minute to play in the first half. With 10 seconds left, Moore made a single free throw to send the teams into halftime tied at 40. 

Santa Clara opened the second half on a 6-0 run, with buckets from redshirt second-year center Bukky Oboye, Mahi and Hammond, prompting a Loyola timeout. Out of the break, Dotson hit a 3-pointer, followed by a lone Mahi free throw and a Richardson layup. 

The Rambler bench received a technical foul, allowing Hammond to secure a free throw and a three-point lead. Hammond then went on to sink a three, increasing the Santa Clara lead to six. 

Dotson added four points to the board with a free throw and a 3-pointer before Tavarez made a three of his own. Amos added one at the line, and Mahi made a three to reclaim the lead for the Broncos. 

A layup from third-year center Miles Rubin gave the Ramblers the lead again, but a successful rip to the line from Mahi kept the game with the Broncos. 

Dotson and Hammond traded threes before another Dotson three gave the lead back to Loyola. A two-minute scoreless drought was broken by a steal and a 3-pointer from Santa Clara’s redshirt first-year forward Allen Graves to reclaim the 62-61 lead.

Just under a minute of scoreless play went by before Rubin slammed home a dunk, which Graves met with a jumper. Two free throws from Dotson brought the game back in favor of the Ramblers before Moore hit a jumper for a three-point lead. 

Darlan tied the game at 67 with a three, and Houinsou broke it with a free throw. Mahi and Moore traded field goals before Moore ended another minute-long drought with another jumper. 

Mahi, Tavarez and Graves each took successful trips to the line, and first-year guard Chuck Love III hit a jumper to maintain Loyola’s three-point advantage. Moore increased the lead to five with a jumper, forcing a Santa Clara timeout. 

Nearly two minutes of scoreless play plagued the court before Darlan made three free throws to bring it to a two-point game. Two free throws from Tavarez were the final Loyola points scored of the night as Hammond closed out the night with a layup, ending the game in favor of the Ramblers 80-78. 

Following the game, head coach Drew Valentine said the team executed the game plan well and stayed composed on the court. 

“We had a very simple game plan today, and they executed,” Valentine said. “[Dotson] and [Moore] used the high-ball screens to see the floor to spray the shooters, touch the paint and get to the free-throw line. We did a good job of staying composed and responding to adversity today.”

The Ramblers start conference play Wednesday, Dec. 31, against the University of Rhode Island. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.