CHICAGO (February 9, 2020)
 
In Short
Cameron Krutwig scored a game-high 20 points and Loyola University Chicago (16-9, 8-4 MVC) held on to earn a 70-68 victory over visiting Valparaiso (12-13, 5-7 MVC) this afternoon at Gentile Arena. The Ramblers built a 14-point lead in the second half before holding on to earn their sixth straight win at home.
 
Coach Moser's Thoughts
"You've got to find ways to win and there's different ways to win games."
 
How It Happened
Loyola strung together seven straight points, on layups from Tate Hall and Marquise Kennedy, as well as a three-pointer from Lucas Williamson, to break a 24-24 tie and claim a 31-24 lead with 4:13 remaining in the opening period.
 
Valpo closed within three on a pair of occasions before the half closed, but each time, the Ramblers had an answer from behind the arc, first Keith Clemons, then later, Hall, and Loyola wound up taking a 39-35 edge into the break. Coming off their worst shooting performance of the year (33.3 percent at Indiana State last week), Loyola drained 55.2 percent (16-for-29) of its field goal attempts in the opening 20 minutes, with Krutwig, Hall and Clemons combining for 28 of the Maroon and Gold's tallies.
 
Six points to open the second half, courtesy of buckets by Krutwig, Aher Uguak and Hall, stung Valpo and expanded Loyola's lead to 45-34, its largest of the game to that point, forcing a Crusaders timeout. 
 
After the Crusaders cut the deficit to 50-43, the Ramblers rattled off six unanswered points, the final three coming on a trey from Marquise Kennedy, that ran the Loyola advantage to 56-43 with 11:27 left to play.
 
A Lucas Williamson triple gave Loyola 66-52 lead with 7:54 remaining in regulation, but Valpo stormed back, assembling a 16-3 run that highlighted by four three-pointers, over the next six minutes, to get within 69-68 with 40 seconds left to play.
 
Krutwig split a pair of foul shots with 11 ticks left on the clock to bump the lead to 70-68 and a frenzied finish on Valpo's final possession ended without the Crusaders getting off a shot as Loyola held on for the win. 
 
A Look At The Numbers

• Krutwig totaled 20 points, hitting 8 of 13 shots from the field, and added six rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal for the Ramblers, who converted 58.7 percent (27-for-46) of their field goal tries.
• Kennedy gave the Ramblers a jolt of energy off the bench and finished with 15 points, a season-high-tying six boards, two assists and a pair of steals, while Hall pitched in 10 points.
• Williamson put together a solid all-around performance registering nine points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Clemons also scored nine points and gathered three steals.
• Valpo was led by Mileek McMillan, who totaled a team-best 14 points in only 16 minutes of play before fouling out.

 
Up Next
Loyola is back on the road Wednesday night (Feb. 12) when it visits Evansville for a 6 p.m. CT contest.