CHICAGO (December 27, 2020)
 
In Short
Lucas Williamson scored a team-high 18 points and Loyola University Chicago (5-2, 1-0 MVC) led from start to finish as it rolled to a 90-60 victory over Illinois State (3-4, 0-1 MVC) this afternoon at Gentile Arena for its 12^th straight win at home versus Missouri Valley Conference opponents. The Ramblers have won 13 consecutive home games overall and have now won two of their last three Valley openers by 30 or more points.
 
Coach Moser's Thoughts
"I thought we did a good job of creating some energy plays and our defensive helped create offense. Our guys know it's going to be different guys, different nights. Horne and Boyd can really get it cooking for Illinois State and we are going to have to do a better job on them tomorrow."
 
How It Happened
Lucas Williamson got the Ramblers going early, providing an early lift by scoring seven points as Loyola forced six Illinois State turnovers and got out to a 14-7 lead in the first eight minutes of the contest. Williamson and Aher Uguak then knocked down treys during a 10-4 spurt that pushed the Ramblers' lead to 24-11 with 7:40 remaining in the period. 
 
Loyola was active on the boards early, corralling seven rebounds on the offensive glass in the first 12 minutes to build an 14-5 edge on the glass.  The Ramblers would eventually stretch their lead to as many as 19, at 39-20, on a Keith Clemons lay-up that capped a 22-9 run.
 
Williamson (12) and Krutwig (11) combined for 23 points in the opening 20 minutes, while defensively, the Ramblers held Redbirds leading scorer Josiah Strong, who entered the day averaging 14.0 points per game, scoreless.
 
Williamson opened the second half in the same fashion as the first, knocking down a pair of triples, while Braden Norris added two of his own, in a 21-3 spurt that ran the Ramblers' lead to 60-26, its largest of the game to that point. Loyola came out on fire in the opening minutes of the half, hitting 8 of its first 9 attempts from the field.
 
The Loyola lead would reach as many as 36 on a handful of occasions in the second half and that initial half-opening run cemented the outcome in the MVC opener for both clubs. 
 
A Look At The Numbers

• Williamson had a solid all-around day, finishing with a season-high 18 points, to go with six rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals, with Krutwig adding 15 points, five boards, three assists and a pair of blocks.
• Loyola continued its trend of big second halves, shooting 19-for-26 (.731) from the field in the second stanza.
• Twelve of 16 Ramblers to appear in the game scored at least one point.
• Loyola has won each of its four home games this season by 28 or more points.
• The Ramblers shot 59.6 percent (34-for-57) for the game and held ISU's leading scorer, Josiah Strong (14.0 ppg), to five points on 2-for-8 shooting.
• DJ Horne led the Redbirds with 18 points.
• Loyola has won seven of the last eight meetings with Illinois State.
• The 90 points were the most scored by the Ramblers in a MVC opener since going for 98 in a 102-98 loss at Drake on December 29, 2016.

 
Up Next
The Ramblers conclude the two-game series with Illinois State tomorrow at 6 p.m. CT. That game will be televised live on CBS Sports Network.