INDIANAPOLIS (December 18, 2020)
In Short
Loyola University Chicago (3-2) nearly pulled off an improbable comeback, almost rallying from a 20-point, second-half deficit, but fell just short in a 75-73 loss to No. 25 Richmond (6-1) tonight at the Indiana Convention Center. The Ramblers, who were led by
Braden Norris' season-high 21 points, have dropped each of their last two outings.
Coach Moser's Thoughts
"We dug ourselves too big of a hole in the first half. Richmond just dominated us and 15 turnovers in the half was the story. The character we showed in the second half is going to help us later on but there are no moral victories."
How It Happened
Both teams got off to a bit of a slow start at the offensive end of the floor and
Cameron Krutwig's layup with 10:52 remaining in the period knotted the score at 12-12. Blake Francis, who netted 12 points in the opening stanza alone, was the star of the first half for the Spiders, and he scored his team's next seven points as Richmond regained the lead.
Over the final 10:52 of the first half, Richmond outscored Loyola 25-10 to take a 37-22 lead into intermission. The Ramblers had an uncharacteristic opening 20 minutes, committing 15 turnovers, while connecting on just 1 of 8 attempts from three-point land.
Richmond scored the first five points of the second half and Loyola's shooting woes carried over early as the Ramblers misfired on their first five field goal attempts in the period, as they watched the Spiders extend their lead to 42-22.
Loyola found itself in a 60-41 hole before Norris heated up from long range. The redshirt sophomore's second triple of the half ignited a 17-4 run that featured two more treys from Norris and another from
Lucas Williamson, that sliced the gap to 64-58.
After Richmond built its lead back to nine, at 67-58, threes from Norris and Williamson, as well as three free throws from
Keith Clemons, were part of a 13-4 burst that trimmed the deficit to 73-71 with 11 seconds remaining.
But Blake Francis knocked down a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left to push the Spiders' lead to 75-71 and
Cameron Krutwig's tip-in with two-tenths of a second remaining provided the final margin.
A Look At The Numbers
- Norris finished with 21 points and five assists, connecting on five three-pointers.
- Krutwig contributed 14 points and 11 boards for his 17thcareer double-double and Tate Hall added 12 points.
- Francis led all scorers with 27 points for Richmond.
Up Next
The Ramblers are slated to open Missouri Valley Conference play December 27 when they welcome Illinois State to Gentile Arena.
