GAME INFORMATION
Final Score: Illinois State 78, Loyola 70
Records: Illinois State (13-11, 7-4 MVC); Loyola (10-13, 3-8)
Location: Gentile Arena -- Chicago, Ill.
Attendance: 1,691
Stats: Box Score | Season Stats
Watch: Postgame Press Conference | Highlights

In Short...
Visiting Illinois State used a 10-0 run late in the second half to claim a 78-70 win over Loyola tonight at Gentile Arena.

Loyola got off to a hot start for the second consecutive game, shooting 59% from the floor in the first half to take a 40-37 lead into the locker room at halftime. Milton Doyle scored all 10 of his first-half points in the final 5:25 of the period to as the Ramblers turned a 27-27 tie into a three-point lead.

After scoring the first six points of the second half to open a nine-point lead, Illinois State answered with a 12-0 run to retake the lead. After the teams went back-and-forth for the middle portion of the half, the Redbirds ripped off 10 consecutive points to turn a 61-60 Loyola lead into a 70-61 advantage with 2:16 left.

How It Happened
+ Three-pointers early from Ben Richardson and Devon Turk had the Ramblers playing from the lead for most of the first half
+ Back-to-back triples from MiKyle McIntosh and Tony Wills gave ISU a 20-17 lead but Turk buried another trey to quickly tie the score again
+ A three-point play from Doyle broke a 27-all deadlock and his 10 points over the final 5:25 helped Loyola regain the lead
+ Illinois State's Quintin Brewer scored off an offensive rebound on the Redbirds' final possession of the half to make it a three-point game at intermission
+ Three free throws from Richardson and a three-point basket from Donte Ingram accounted for the first six points of the second half as Loyola took its largest lead of the game (46-37) 75 seconds into the period
+ Deonte Hawkins got a friendly bounce on a three-pointer and McIntosh scored the next seven points in the 12-0 run that gave ISU a 51-48 lead at the 12:48 mark
+ The teams traded baskets over the next six minutes, with neither team leading by more than one point from the 11:07 mark until a Wills tip-in made it a 64-61 ISU lead with 4:53 left
+ Illinois State hit 8-of-10 from the free throw line in the last 56 seconds to close out the win

The Turning Point
Deonte Hawkins walked into an open three-pointer on the right wing and buried it to give ISU a 68-61 lead with 3:10 remaining.

Inside The Box Score
+ After shooting 72% from the floor in the first half against Indiana State on Saturday, Loyola stayed hot and shot 59% in the opening 20 minutes tonight
+ On the flip side, after watching the Sycamores shoot 70% in the second half, the Ramblers' defense saw Illinois State hit at a 59% clip in the second half tonight as the visitors outscored Loyola 41-30 in the last 20 minutes
+ Montel James led a balanced scoring effort with 15 points as five Ramblers scored at least seven points
+ After finishing 4-of-6 for 10 points in the first half, Doyle was only 1-of-2 from the floor (three points) in the second period
+ The Missouri Valley's top free throw shooting club, Loyola went 13-of-15 from the stripe tonight and is 47-of-55 (85.4%) from the line over the last two games
+ While Loyola turned 11 Illinois State turnovers into 22 big points, the Redbirds owned a 15-5 edge in second chance points, including 8-0 in the second half
+ Loyola finished the game at an even 50% from the floor, snapping a 14-game winning streak when it had hit at least half of its shots (Last loss: Feb. 1, 2014 at Southern Illinois)
+ After an 0-for-7 night from behind the arc in the first meeting this season, Turk canned his first three attempts from distance tonight
+ McIntosh scored 14 of his game-high 21 points in the second half to lead Illinois State

Next Up
Loyola hits the road for a Saturday battle at Southern Illinois. Tip-off from SIU Arena is set for 7 p.m. with the game streaming live over The Valley on ESPN3.