Dec. 22, 2006

Box Score

CHICAGO - Loyola University Chicago (9-4) squandered a 14-point, second-half lead, but rallied to post a 72-69 victory over UC Irvine (4-8) tonight at the Gentile Center. The Ramblers' nine wins before Christmas are the most prior to the holiday since 1947-48.

"We definitely had to move the ball better," Loyola forward Andy Polka said. "We moved it around and found the buckets. I liked the focus and energy of the game. You have to win games like this to have the year we want to have."

The Ramblers opened the second half with a 13-6 run and J.R. Blount's three-pointer put them ahead, 51-37 with 15:46 left in regulation. From there however, the Anteaters scored 20 of the game's next 25 points and seized a 57-56 lead on Michael Hunter's lay-up with just over 10 minutes remaining.

Dave Telander hit a long-range trey to put Loyola right back on top, 59-57 and the teams exchanged leads for the next six minutes before Blake Schilb hit a pair of foul shots to give Loyola a 66-65 edge it would never surrender. UC Irvine had one last chance to send the game to overtime, but Nic Campbell's three-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim as Loyola held on for the win, its sixth of the year at the Gentile Center.

Schilb scored a game-high 17 points and added four assists, three rebounds and three steals. Blount netted 15 points and chipped in four assists, while Majak Kou added 11 points.

Loyola returns to action when it travels to Youngstown State on Dec. 30.