Amos Has a Day in The Lou, Men’s Basketball Falls 79-65

Loyola men’s basketball completed their final road game of the regular season, losing to No. 25 Saint Louis University 79-65 March 4. Fourth-year forward Xavier Amos led the charge for the Ramblers, dropping 25 points — 18 in the first half — while Saint Louis’ second-year guard Amari McCottry scored 18 for the Billikens. 

Third-year center Miles Rubin got the game started with a jumper, immediately matched with a layup from fourth-year guard Dion Brown to tie the game. Amos and Brown traded layups to keep it even and Brown pulled the Billikens ahead with another jumper. Rubin responded with his second basket to tie it at six. 

A layup from Saint Louis’ fourth-year forward Paul Otieno prompted a two minute drought before third-year Billiken guard Quentin Jones hit one at the line. Three consecutive 3-pointers — courtesy of second-year forward Ishan Sharma, McCottry and redshirt second-year forward Brady Dunlap — gave the Billikens an 18-6 advantage over the Ramblers. 

It took the Ramblers another minute to get on the board, where Rubin drove in a layup, and Amos tagged on a three. McCottry made two at the line before Amos hit three consecutive threes — a layup from redshirt third-year Billiken guard Kellen Thames in between. Rubin tied the game at 22 with a layup. 

Thames tipped in a rebound from a missed layup, and second-year guard Kayde Dotson matched with a 3-pointer to give the Ramblers a short-lived lead. McCottry hit a three of his own, and Amos made a jumper to tie it at 27.

A minute of scoreless play plagued the court until third-year guard Deywilk Tavarez broke through with a layup, matched with one from Saint Louis’ fourth-year center Robbie Avila, who also connected on the subsequent and-one before hitting a 3-pointer. 

The Billikens kept cooking with a three from redshirt second-year guard Trey Green and layups from McCottry and Jones. Amos got the Ramblers back on the board with a layup of his own to end the first half 40-32 in the Billikens’ favor. 

Avila got the second half started with a jumper, and Green and Avila combined for three at the line. Tavarez scored the first Loyola points of the half on a layup, decreasing the Billiken advantage to 11. 

Green responded with a three, which prompted a two minute cold stretch. Brown and Dotson traded 3-pointers and McCottry drove in a layup. Amos answered with another three to make it a 53-40 game. 

A layup from Brown was met with a 3-pointer from second-year guard Daniil Glazkov. A minute later, Dotson drained another three to decrease the Billiken lead to single digits. 

Thames made one at the line before a series of turnovers haunted the Ramblers. A turnover by Dotson led to a layup from Dunlap, and Thames stole an Amos possession, leading to a fastbreak layup to give the Billikens a 60-46 lead and prompting a Loyola timeout. 

Amos got back on the board with another 3-pointer, Dotson and Thames traded field goals, and Dotson hit a three to put the lead back into double digits. Just under a minute went by before McCottry scored a layup and Brown took a successful trip to the line to claim a 66-54 advantage. 

Brown failed to complete a three-point play after being fouled by Tavarez on a jumper. Otieno hit a layup to counteract Brown’s miss. One at the line from Amos was matched with a layup from Avila before Dotson hit another three. 

McCottry’s layup on the next possession was canceled out with a successful trip to the line from Dotson. Answered with a successful trip to the line for McCottry, bringing the score to 76-60 with under a minute remaining. 

Fourth-year forward Alexander Richardson drove in a layup, and Sharma matched with a three. Glazkov capped the night off with a three-point play, ending the game in Saint Louis’ favor 79-65. 

The Ramblers return home for their final regular season game March 7 against George Washington University, where they look to come back from a rough 101-66 loss earlier in the season. The Senior Night tip off is scheduled for 1 p.m. and can be streamed on USA Network.