Dec. 20, 2009
Box Score
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Terrance Hill tallied a career-high 23 points and Walt Gibler added a personal-best 22 points off the bench to lead Loyola University Chicago (8-2) to a 79-61 victory over SIU Edwardsville (2-9) this afternoon at the Vadalabene Center. The Ramblers extend their current win streak to four games and improve to 4-2 on the road this season with the victory.
"I am thrilled that we were able to win both games on the road this week, because in college basketball, winning on the road is so difficult" Loyola head coach Jim Whitesell said. "I am pleased with the way we started each half. Marcus Thomas and Walt Gibler really gave us a lift off the bench and Terrance Hill was exceptional today."
Loyola scored the first five points of the game and raced out to a 13-2 lead as Geoff McCammon buried a couple of three-pointers to spark the initial Rambler burst. After SIUE closed to within six points, the Ramblers went on a 17-8 run to open up a 32-17 advantage, their largest of the first half.
The Ramblers started the second half with a bang, turning a 36-29 halftime advantage into a 49-34 lead. Gibler and Hill keyed the second-half surge, combining for the squad's first 13 points of the period. SIUE chipped away at the deficit and got within 51-44 with 13:20 left to play, but a basket by Ben Averkamp 21 seconds later ignited a game-changing 14-0 run that gave Loyola a commanding 65-44 edge.
Hill, who topped the 20-point plateau for the second straight game, also chipped in four rebounds, three assists and six steals in addition to his 23 points. Gibler came off the bench to pour in a career-best 22 points in only 16 minutes of action and Thomas added 12 points for his first double-figure-scoring effort since Dec. 3.
Andy Polka snagged a game-high 11 rebounds, McCammon pitched in nine points, and Averkamp added eight points, while Courtney Stanley handed out seven assists to only two turnovers, to contribute to the Rambler victory.
Mark Yelovich tallied a team-high 18 points for SIUE.
Loyola, which is off to its best start since 2005-06 when it also went 8-2 through the first 10 games, opens up a four-game homestand Tuesday, Dec. 22 when it hosts Albany.
