PARADISE ISLAND BAHAMAS (November 24, 2021)
 
In Short
Marcus Bingham Jr.'s dunk with four seconds left allowed Michigan State (4-1) to slip past Loyola University Chicago (4-1), 63-61, this afternoon in the opening game of the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis at Imperial Arena. The loss spoiled a solid defensive effort from the Ramblers, who forced the Spartans into 20 turnovers.
 
Coach Valentine's Thoughts
"That was a big-time college basketball game. There are no moral victories for us. We have to find a way to stay positive, stay together and find ways to get better in areas where we are struggling right now, but I am proud of this team for the grit it showed today."
 
How It Happened
Michigan State got off to a strong start, scoring the first nine points of the contest before Loyola settled in, especially at the offensive end of the floor. The Ramblers found themselves in a 17-12 hole when Lucas Williamson's conventional three-point play opened up a 16-2 run that featured a pair of threes from Keith Clemons and Williamson capped that spurt with a triple of his own to move Loyola ahead, 28-19.
 
Loyola took a 28-23 edge into the break after limiting the Spartans to 10-for-27 (.370) shooting from the field, and just 1 of 7 from beyond the arc.
 
Baskets from Jacob Hutson and Williamson opened the second-half scoring to bump Loyola's advantage back to nine points, at 32-23, but Michigan State responded by going on a 16-5 run to briefly reclaim the lead (39-37).
 
The Spartans would lead by as many as four points (47-43) in the period, and each time Loyola got within a bucket, MSU had an answer until back-to-back layups by Williamson let the Ramblers slip ahead, 56-55, with 4:05 left to play.
 
Minutes later, with the game tied at 58-58, Malik Hall drained a three-pointer with 1:37 left to put Michigan State back on top, but Braden Norris answered with a trey of his own, his third of the half, to knot the score at 61-61 just 17 seconds later.
 
Loyola had a couple of cracks at taking the lead in the final 30 seconds but came up empty, setting the stage for Bingham Jr.'s alley-oops dunk that dealt the Ramblers their first loss of the season.
 
A Look at the Numbers

• Williamson continued his impressive play versus Power 5 teams, totaling 16 points and eight rebounds, which were both Loyola team highs.
• Norris added nine points, all of which came in the second half, four assists and three steals, and Hutson pitched in nine points and four boards.
• For the first time this season, the Ramblers failed to connect on at least 50 percent of their field goal attempts, converting 22 of 59 tries (.373).
• Hall led Michigan State with 24 points and Bingham Jr. contributed 11 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks.

 
Up Next
Loyola will take on the loser of the Auburn – Connecticut game tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. ET.