Men’s Basketball Faces Loss with “Disappointing” Second Half Against Saint Louis

Loyola men’s basketball notched another loss to their 6-20 record after falling to Atlantic 10 conference leaders Saint Louis University Feb. 13. Redshirt third-year guard Justin Moore led the Ramblers in scoring with 12 points while the Billikens’ redshirt second-year guard Trey Green and second-year forward Ishan Sharma each tallied 14 to secure the 86-59 win.

After winning tipoff, the Billikens were quick to lose possession as Moore recovered the ball to sink a 3-pointer within the first minute of play. This was the first and only time Loyola held a lead over Saint Louis.

Seconds later, Green responded with a 3-pointer to match the score. In the following four minutes, Moore sank a bucket, and Saint Louis scored nine more, taking an early 10-5 lead over the Ramblers. Green stepped up to the line to sink both attempts, third-year guard Quentin Jones netted a 3-pointer and second-year guard Amari McCottry scored two in the paint. 

Following a media timeout, fourth-year forward Xavier Amos stepped up to the line to add two to the scoreboard for the Ramblers. A minute later, third-year center Miles Rubin came in for a putback, but Billikens’ fourth-year guard Dion Brown and fourth-year forward Paul Otieno maintained control of the court by adding two layups of their own.

Jones fouled Moore, but he only sank one of two attempts. In the following minute, buckets were traded as Otieno secured two with a layup, and second-year guard Daniil Glazkov gained possession off a turnover to make a fast break dunk.

Saint Louis was quick to capitalize off their next possession and added another three to the board by Sharma. Within seconds, fourth-year center Robbie Avila secured two more with a second-chance layup.

Moore responded with a jumper, but the Billikens disregarded it when redshirt second-year forward Brady Dunlap sank a three. Seconds later, Loyola called their first timeout of the game while down 24-14.

With six minutes on the clock, third-year guard Deywilk Tavarez and Green traded 3-pointers. Glazkov added to the momentum with a three of his own to put the Ramblers at a 27-20 deficit. 

After Brown sank a layup, second-year guard Kayde Dotson stepped in to notch another 3-pointer for the Ramblers. Less than a minute later, Glazkov added another three to the board.

The Billikens proved their offensive power in the final two minutes of the period, tallying another 10 points. Redshirt third-year guard Kellen Thames added two layups while Green and Jones provided 3-pointers. Loyola was unable to keep up, only adding another three from Moore, finishing the first half at 39-29.

Saint Louis set the tone early for the second half when Green sank a three in the first 20 seconds. Loyola responded in the same minute with a driving layup from Rubin.

McCottry went to the line,  but only one of two attempts was netted. Tavarez secured three and Brown fouled Amos, who made both at the line. 

Saint Louis was able to add seven points to the board in the following two minutes while Loyola added two. Brown went in for a 3-pointer, and the Ramblers’ fourth-year center Alexander Richardson stepped in for his first layup of the game. McCottry and Jones provided two more layups for the Billikens.

Glazkov pulled-up from beyond the arc, and Saint Louis immediately responded with a layup from Sharma. Loyola had back-to-back chances at the line, but Dotson missed both attempts and Moore only netted one. 

Jones added two in the paint while Sharma notched consecutive 3-pointers. Loyola went in for a layup from first-year guard Nic Anderson which was canceled out when Sharma set up Otieno for an alley-oop dunk.

Buckets were traded in the following four minutes when Dotson made up for his last failed attempt and netted two free throws. Saint Louis responded with a paint jumper which Dotson matched with a layup. The Billikens then widened the lead to 21 when they added seven more to the board with a 3-pointer from Dunlap, two successful free throw attempts and a tip-in from Thames. 

Otieno only sank one of two attempts before Loyola gained possession and capitalized on a Rubin score in the paint and a Tavarez 3-pointer.

Saint Louis ended Loyola’s short-lived advantage and regained control of the court to score 11. Brown notched a layup, Sharma secured three with a jumper and McCottry provided an alleyoop, a dunk and driving layup. 

In the final two minutes, fourth-year guard Caleb Reese stepped onto the court to score five with a pair of buckets and first-year forward Jax Kerr netted the final three for the Billikens.

Loyola was the last to score when Anderson stepped up to the line to send in one last point. The final minute only saw a struggle for possession, and the game ended with the Billikens taking the win 86-59.

While Saint Louis finished shooting 50.8% from the field, Loyola only averaged 33.9% and dropped from 30% to 22.22% in 3-pointers by the second half.

Head coach Drew Valentine said the second half was the biggest disappointment for the Ramblers, and after halftime he didn’t think the team went onto the court with a winning mentality. 

“I thought at times in the first half, we were very aggressive, playing to win,” Valentine said. “Then in the second half, I thought we were just out there, and it was disappointing to see that.”

The Ramblers will travel to New York where they are set to match up against Fordham University Feb. 18. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and can be live streamed on ESPN+.