CHICAGO (February 26, 2021)
 
In Short
No. 21/22 Loyola University Chicago (20-4, 15-2 MVC) erased a nine-point first half deficit and got 16 points from Marquise Kennedy off the bench to record its 20^th win of the season in a 60-52 decision over Southern Illinois (11-12, 5-12 MVC) tonight at Gentile Arena. The Ramblers, who have won 13 of their last 14 games overall, have also won 21 consecutive home games, and can clinch at least a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship with a win tomorrow against the Salukis.
 
Coach Moser's Thoughts
"This was an absolute grind and we found a way to win when they really shot the heck out of it. We've got to defend the three better tomorrow, there's no question about it."
 
How It Happened
Lance Jones hit four three-pointers in the first five and a half minutes to account for nearly all of Southern Illinois' points in a 14-5 blitz to open the game.  Loyola withstood that initial burst from the Salukis and used its own hot hand, Kennedy, who scored eight of his team's points during a 12-0 run, to grab a 17-14 lead. After hitting 5 of its first 6 shots from the field, SIU misfired on its next 10 tries.
 
Following an SIU basket that sliced the lead to a point (17-16), the Ramblers finished out the period on a 12-4 run, which included a pair of threes from Keith Clemons, to take a 29-20 into the locker room at halftime. All told, Loyola out-scored Southern Illinois, 24-6, after taking the Salukis' initial punch.
 
Kennedy scored 10 points in the first half, energizing the Ramblers with his play at both ends of the floor. Over the final 14:39 of the first half, Loyola locked up the Salukis, pestering them into 3 of 16 shooting from the field.
 
A Steven Verplancken layup opened the second-half scoring, cutting the Loyola advantage to seven, but back-to-back triples from Braden Norris ran the lead to 35-22. Minutes later, Tate Hall accounted for four straight tallies to extend the Ramblers' advantage to 41-25, but Verplancken heated up from long range, and his fifth second-half triple cut the gap to 45-41 with 5:41 remaining.
 
Freshman Jacob Hutson's basket and then assist on a Norris three pushed the lead to 50-41 and the Salukis never got closer than six points the remainder of the game. Hutson, who had four points, a rebound and a block, provided a crucial lift in his five minutes of action in crunch time.
 
A Look At The Numbers

• Kennedy, who averaged 17.5 points per game in two contests against the Salukis last year, led the way for the Ramblers tonight with 16 points off the bench, adding five rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. 
• Norris went 4-for-4 from three-point land and finished with 13 points, two assists and three steals, and Cameron Krutwig tacked on 11 points, six boards, two assists and four blocks.
• Loyola has won 20 or more games four seasons in a row, only the second time that has happened in program history and the first since the 1945-46 through 1948-49 seasons. 
• Head coach Porter Moser has steered the Ramblers to five 20-win seasons, the most of any coach in men's basketball program history, in his tenure in Rogers Park.
• Tonight's win also equaled Loyola's school record for conference victories in a season (15), set by the 2017-18 squad that would go on to reach the NCAA Final Four.
• A victory tomorrow would give the Ramblers their third MVC regular season crown in the last four years.
• Verplancken provided 17 points and eight rebounds to lead the Salukis.

 
Up Next
Loyola and Southern Illinois close out the regular season tomorrow at 5 p.m. That game will be televised live on ESPN2.