Aug. 16, 2006

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala - Loyola University Chicago used strong second and fourth quarters to pull away and earn an 86-57 victory over the Guatemalan National Team Tuesday night in the first-ever game played by a Division I team in Guatemala. With the win, the Ramblers improve to 3-0 on their Central American tour.

Before the game, the team visited in the locker room with the U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala and the Director of U.S. Press and Culture. In front of a boisterous crowd of about 1,500 fans, Loyola took a 19-13 lead after one period of play before outscoring the Guatemalans, 27-14 in the second quarter to take a 46-27 lead at halftime.

After Guatemala cut into Loyola's lead in the third quarter, the Ramblers outscored their opponent 27-14 in the final stanza to earn their third victory in as many tries on their foreign trip. The highlight of the evening was a thunderous, fourth-quarter dunk by Darrin Williams off a pretty no-look feed from Tracy Robinson.

Blake Schilb put together an impressive performance, racking up 18 points, six rebounds, eight assists and four steals to lead Loyola. Majak Kou chipped in 15 points and five boards and Leon Young, who was seeing his first action on the trip after missing time with a minor injury, totaled 14 points, seven rebounds and a pair of steals. Robinson had another solid all-around effort as he went for 11 points, five boards and four assists. He was the last of four Ramblers to score in double digits. J.R. Blount chipped in nine points and Williams, who has continued to show signs of progress on the trip, kicked in four points and five rebounds.

Loyola looks to stay undefeated on the trip when it faces Leman's, Wednesday morning.