Ramblers Stumble in 89-75 Loss to the Rams

Loyola men’s basketball fell 89-75 to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Jan. 30. Third-year center Miles Rubin led the Ramblers with 21 points, and fourth-year forward Xavier Amos followed with 18 points. 

The game started two minutes in with a layup by Rubin before Amos added a 3-pointer to the board a minute later. A foul was called on VCU redshirt fourth-year guard Jadrian Tracey, which sent Amos to the line for one successful free throw. 

A layup from fourth-year forward Joshua Ola-Joseph was followed a minute later with a foul on Ola-Joseph, putting Rams’ third-year guard and forward Michael Belle at the line for one made free throw. Rubin responded with a dunk, but VCU second-year guard Terrence Hill Jr. negated it with a 3-pointer. 

Redshirt third-year guard Justin Moore sank a three and Amos followed with a layup before a minute-long scoring drought. A foul on Rams’ third-year forward Lazar Djokovic gave Ola-Joseph two successful free throws, putting the Ramblers in the lead 17-4. 

A foul on fourth-year center Alexander Richardson put third-year VCU guard Tyrell Ward at the line, where he made one of two free throws. Richardson followed this with a layup and another foul, sending VCU second-year guard Ahmad Nowell to the line and putting two more points on the board for the Rams. 

Rams first-year guard Nyk Lewis made a layup, and fourth-year guard Kaydee Dotson retaliated by netting a three. Rubin made a layup before Belle sank a 3-pointer. A technical foul on Belle put third-year guard Deywilk Tavarez on the line, who made the second of two free throws. 

A foul on Rubin sent Tracey on a successful trip to the line, which was followed by a dunk from VCU fourth-year forward Barry Evans. Rubin responded with a layup, and first-year guard Nic Anderson netted a three. A foul on Anderson put Ward at the line, where he made both free throws, waning the 30-18 Ramblers lead. 

Rams second-year guard Brandon Jennings sank a three before Rubin landed a jumper. Tavarez put up another three before receiving a technical foul, putting Hill Jr. at the line for three successful free throws. Richardson made a layup off an offensive rebound on Moore’s shot, before Hill Jr. took it down court for a 3-pointer. 

Amos netted a layup before 3-pointers by Ward and Hill Jr, and a foul on Dotson put Hill Jr. at the line for a successful and-one free throw. After Rubin and Belle traded layups, a foul on Anderson put Tracey at the line for two more points for VCU. 

A foul on Belle sent Rubin to the line, who made his first of two free throws. Two layups were netted by Ward — one off a Dotson turnover — and a foul on Belle put Rubin at the line again, this time for two successful free throws. Another layup by Ward sent the teams into halftime at an even 46. 

The second half started with a Tracey layup before a foul was called on Rubin, putting Djokovic at the line for two good free throws. Dotson and Djokovic swapped jumpers before Rubin took to the net with a layup, and Tracey responded with a 3-pointer. 

Dotson netted a layup before another minute-long scoring drought for both teams. Evans broke the ice with a layup, and followed it up 20 seconds later with another. Amos and Ward traded threes, and a dunk by Belle put VCU in the lead 64-55. 

A foul on Belle put Ola-Joseph at the line, where he made the second of two free throws. Half a minute later, Ola-Joseph fouled Djokovic, who went to the line and added another point to VCU’s lead.

Amos landed a layup before another minute-long stretch of offensive blunders, broken only by a 3-pointer by Hill Jr. Two minutes later, a Djokovic dunk added another basket to the Rams’ 70-58 lead. 

A Rubin layup was followed by Tracey and Tavarez swapping jumpers, but Tracey negated it with a three. Another minute-long scoreless stretch was ended by an Amos jumper. An and-one foul on Nowell put Amos at the line for a successful free throw. A foul on Tavarez sent Jennings to the line, and the Rams gained two more points. 

Amos negated those points with a layup, but a minute and a half passed without offensive responses from either team. Another foul on Tavarez sent Hill Jr. on a successful trip to the line, but Hill Jr.’s foul on Anderson cancelled out the points when Anderson made both of his baskets. 

An Anderson three was followed by a layup by Belle, and Moore responded with a 3-pointer of his own. A foul on Moore put Jennings at the line for two more VCU points, and Hill Jr. netted a layup not long after. A foul on Amos gave Hill Jr. a chance at two more free throws, both of which he made. 

Djokovic’s block on Anderson’s missed layup gave the Rams possession, which Jennings ended with a layup to secure the 89-75 VCU victory. 

The Ramblers return to Gentile Arena Feb. 3 for their game against La Salle University. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and can be streamed on Marquee Sports Network.