Injuries Plague Men’s Basketball in 79-64 Davidson Loss

Loyola men’s basketball fell to Davidson College Jan. 7, 79-64 after a tough start from an injured Loyola roster. Fourth-year guard Kymany Houinsou and first-year guard Nic Anderson led the Ramblers with 13 points, while Davidson’s third-year guard Parker Friedrichsen tallied a game high 27 for the Wildcats. 

Fourth-year forward Xavier Amos and redshirt third-year guard Justin Moore joined the injury list for Loyola before the match. Head coach Drew Valentine said he thought Moore and Amos were going to see playing time tonight, but after warm-ups, the coaching staff was told they wouldn’t be playing. 

Due to the injuries, players like Anderson and fourth-year guard Caleb Reese stepped up and played over 20 minutes each. Valentine commended their efforts and said he was proud of the way they took control of the court. 

“I think our guys did a good job from a mentality standpoint of still doing whatever they could to compete,” Valentine said. “Those guys walking into the arena today, they didn’t think they were going to do that. I commend our guys for doing that. I commend our guys for fighting.” 

The Wildcats got the game started on a 6-0 run, credited to two 3-pointers from Friedrichsen and first-year guard Devin Brown. Second-year guard Kayde Dotson answered with a three of his own before Davidson’s first-year forward and center Ian Platteeuw and fourth-year forward Sean Logan sent in layups for a 10-3 Wildcat lead. 

Third-year center Miles Rubin got the Ramblers back in scoring position with a layup, but Davidson’s redshirt first-year guard Nick Coval hit another three, prompting a Loyola timeout, now down 13-5. 

Houinsou hit a dunk following a steal from Dotson before Houinsou stole the next Davidson possession and found Rubin, who missed the connection on the dunk. Second-year Wildcat guard Roberts Blums took the next chance to hit an open three, which Houinsou matched with one at the line. 

Redshirt third-year Wildcat guard Hunter Adam made a 3-pointer, and Coval converted on an attempted block by fourth-year forward Joshua Ola-Joseph for a layup. Third-year guard Deywilk Tavarez answered with a three of his own, decreasing Loyola’s deficit to 10 points.

Coval continued for the Wildcats with a floater before a two minute scoring drought. Davidson’s second-year forward Manie Joses ended the drought with a 3-pointer before Houinsou scored on consecutive possessions with a jumper and layup. 

Ola-Joseph kept the Ramblers running with a dunk as Platteeuw made one at the line. Anderson’s first points of the night came from a jumper to make it a 29-19 game. 

Following a Davidson shot clock violation, Anderson sank a three, and Houinsou added two at the line to inch the Ramblers closer to the Wildcats. One at the line from Logan was met with an Ola-Joseph layup to make it 30-26. 

Blums added a 3-pointer, which Tavarez countered with two free throws. Brown added one more for the Wildcats as Ola-Joseph hit a three. Fourth-year center Alexander Richardson tied the game at 34 with three free throws. 

The tie was short-lived as Friedrichsen hit a three on the next possession and made two at the line. Anderson hit a layup, which was cancelled out by successful trips from Coval and Friedrichsen. 

After a Davidson timeout, Blums made a turnaround jumper, ending the first half in favor of the Wildcats 45-36. 

Rubin got the Ramblers on the board in the second half with a layup before a brief scoring drought. Friedrichsen broke through with a three — matched by Dotson — to get the game back going. 

Friedrichsen hit another three to reclaim Davidson’s 10-point advantage over the Ramblers.

Friedrichsen kept his streak going with a 3-pointer, a stolen possession and a layup to force a Loyola timeout, now down 56-41. 

Logan stole a possession from Dotson, who went down with an ankle injury and was taken out of the game. The stolen possession was deemed unsuccessful, and Friedrichsen failed to complete a layup. 

Richardson hit a dunk and missed the subsequent and-one, then repeated his actions — this time with a layup — also missing the and-one opportunity. Coval hit a jumper before Houinsou stole a possession and drove in a layup. Friedrichsen completed a four-point play after being fouled by Tavarez beyond the arc for a 62-47 advantage over the Ramblers. 

Houinsou responded with a layup, which Davidson’s third-year guard Josh Scovens and Friedrichsen answered with consecutive field goals. Anderson went on a personal four-point run with one at the line and a 3-pointer. 

Dotson checked back into the game, limping onto the court and went down on Davidson’s side. He didn’t return to the game after that. 

Tavarez added two at the line before third-year Wildcat guard Sam Brown made a 3-pointer to take a 69-55 lead over Loyola. 

Five possessions of misses occurred before Blums hit a three to increase Davidson’s lead. Richardson responded with a layup of his own, which was matched by a Blums jumper. 

Reese scored his first points of the night off a jumper, and Scovens answered with a layup of his own. Richardson made one more at the line, decreasing the scoring gap to 16 points. 

Blums kept running for the Wildcats with a layup as Scovens made one at the line. Anderson drove in a layup, and fourth-year forward Zachary Royster made a jumper for the final points of the game, with the Ramblers picking up another conference loss. 

Valentine said the effort from the team in the second half wasn’t where it should have been. 

“I thought in the second half we ran out of gas,” Valentine said. “I thought we stopped doing what allowed us to get into the position we were in in the first half, which was essentially our defense, how we are able to get out in transition and get the ball moving.”

The Ramblers head on the road to George Washington University for their fourth conference match up. Tip off against the Revolutionaries is at 2 p.m. and can be streamed on CBS Sports Network.