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CHICAGO - Loyola shot 60% from the floor and scored 48 points in the paint to claim a 78-68 win over McKendree tonight at Gentile Arena. Milton Doyle and Christian Thomas tied for game-high honors with 21 points as the Ramblers moved to 2-0 on the young season.

Six of Loyola's first eight points came inside as the Ramblers jumped out to the early lead. McKendree opened hot from the arc to stay within striking distance but Loyola opened up a seven-point lead (25-18) on a steal and bucket from Devon Turk. The Bearcats answered with anther triple but baskets from Montel James and Doyle helped the Ramblers extend the lead, which reached double-digits for the first time (35-23) on a Thomas three-point play, and LU went into the locker room at halftime with a 37-27 cushion.

The home team shot 59% in the period and a swarming defense hounded McKendree into 14 first-half turnovers. Thomas was outstanding, scoring 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting in just 12 minutes.

A Doyle bucket and two Thomas free throws pushed the lead to 13 (48-35) before the first media timeout of the second half and four straight points later from Doyle made it a 15-point spread. The lead never got below 10 points the rest of the way as the Ramblers cruised from there.

Both teams operated at a high level in the second half, with Loyola shooting 62% (16 of 26) and McKendree connecting at a 60% (18 of 30) clip.

Loyola forced the Bearcats into 23 turnovers for the game, converting them into 25 points and helping lead to a 24-12 advantage in fast break points.

Doyle scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half while also dishing out a career-high eight assists in 31 minutes. Thomas finished 8-of-11 from the floor and hit all five of his free throws en route to his 21 points. Joe Crisman joined the duo in double figures, finishing with 10 points, five rebounds and four steals, while Donte Ingram (nine points) and Earl Peterson (seven) also contributed off the bench.

Loyola returns to action on Friday night when it travels to East Lansing, Mich. to take on No. 19 Michigan State. Tipoff from the Breslin Center is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be televised on Big Ten Network.