Defensive Fatigue Plagues Men’s Basketball in Loss to George Mason

The Loyola men’s basketball team fell to George Mason University in a close 82-74 loss Jan. 13. First-year guard Nic Anderson led the Ramblers with a career-high 17 points and seven rebounds, while George Mason’s third-year forward and center Riley Allenspach led the Patriots with 23 points and five rebounds. 

Third-year center Miles Rubin started the game strong with a dunk 15 seconds in. After two baskets from Allenspach, Anderson responded with a layup, bringing the score even at four. 

Loyola gained a solid lead after layups from fourth-year guard Kymany Houinsou and fourth-year forward Joshua Ola-Joseph, followed by a successful trip to the line for Ola-Joseph. A 3-pointer by fourth-year Patriots guard Masai Troutman and a layup by graduate guard Jahari Long closed the scoring gap. 

Rubin and Long traded jumpers, and a foul on fourth-year guard Caleb Reese sent Long to the line for a successful and-one. A Houinsou layup was followed by a free throw, putting the Ramblers back in the lead. George Mason’s fourth-year guard Fatt Hill broke through the defense and hooked a layup. A basket by Ola-Joseph and a Houinson three put the Ramblers in a 19-14 advantage. 

After a layup by Patriots’ second-year forward Staš Sivka, both teams went a minute without scoring. Patriots’ third-year guard Kory Mincy stopped the drought, and second-year guard Daniil Glazkov hit a layup and sank a free throw to keep the lead. 

Hill’s layup and free throw was followed by a three by third-year guard Deywilk Tavarez before both teams fell scoreless for a minute. 

Allenspach made one of two free throws off a Rubin foul, and a three from Troutman evened the score before Houinsou netted the ball from inside the arc. Hill and Anderson swapped field goals, and a free throw by Anderson brought the Ramblers ahead 30-27. 

An Allenspach layup was met with a dunk by redshirt first-year forward Brayden Young. Troutman was sent to the line by an Ola-Joseph foul, where he sank both shots. Anderson sank a long three, and Tavarez followed with one of his own. 

Rubin and Mincy traded layups before Tavarez added another three to the board. Long made one of two free throws and was met afterward with a Rubin layup. Another basket from Rubin occurred after a solo free throw at the line for Sivka. 

Long’s following two trips to the line were both successful, and a layup by Sivka ended the half with a 47-41 Rambler lead. 

The second half started with one of three made free throws by Houisou, but an offensive rebound by Houisou and a dunk by Anderson brought back Loyola’s momentum. Troutman retaliated with a three, and a layup by Long was met with an Ola-Joseph dunk off a backward pass from Houinsou. 

Houinsou had an offensive rebound off Ola-Joseph’s missed three, and tipped in a layup. George Mason responded with a layup by Allenspach and a three by Mincy. A Rubin layup was met with a three from Troutman. Ola-Joseph and Allenspach each made one of two free throws, and a three by Long followed, giving George Mason a 58-57 lead. 

Tavarez and Hill traded points before Anderson sank a 3-pointer. Anderson followed up with a layup but was met with a jumper by Mincy. Ola-Joseph went one for one at the line, bringing the Ramblers back up to a 65-62 lead. 

Anderson netted a three, but the points were recalled due to Anderson being out of bounds. Loyola challenged the call, but the referees upheld their ruling.

Head coach Drew Valentine said he felt the officiating was biased throughout the night. 

“I did think there was an inconsistency officiating tonight,” Valentine said. “That’s kind of been better, but I’m proud of my guys, proud of where their mindset was at.”

Ola-Joseph took another trip to the line and made one of two attempts. Allenspach was next to the line and netted both shots. Houinsou responded with a layup, but George Mason’s graduate forward Dola Adebayo buried a three. Long and Rubin traded layups before Rubin sent Allenspach to the line for two more points, putting the Patriots up 71-70. 

Allenspach made a three before he and Tavarez traded layups. A turnover and foul on Rubin sent Allenspach back to the line, successfully. Allenspach followed with a dunk, and Anderson made it to the line to add four more points to the Ramblers’ score. Mincy made it to the line in the final fifteen seconds, making both shots and securing an 82-74 victory for George Mason. 

Valentine said late-clock defense is going to be something the coaching staff emphasizes in practices and film. 

“There were too many times late clock where their guys just put their heads down, and we either fouled, or they got an offensive rebound or hit a shot,” Valentine said. 

The Ramblers are on the road Jan. 16 to take on the University of Dayton. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN2.