CHICAGO (January 22, 2022)
In Short
Isiaih Mosley scored 40 points, the most by an opponent at Gentile Arena, and Missouri State (15-6, 6-2 MVC) held off a late Loyola University Chicago (14-3, 5-1 MVC) rally for a 79-69 victory this afternoon to snap the No. 22/24 Ramblers' 10-game overall win steak. The loss also brought an end to Loyola's 30-game home-court win streak, which had been the fourth-longest, active streak in NCAA Division I play.
How It Happened
Two baskets by
Aher Uguak, another by
Jacob Hutson, and a three-pointer from
Lucas Williamson, helped the Ramblers race out to a 9-2 lead just 3:25 into the game. Loyola's advantage stood at 14-8 following a
Braden Norris triple, but a jumper from Mosley began a 14-2 Bears run that was capped by a three from Jaylen Minnett, that put Missouri State on top, 22-16.
The Ramblers moved back ahead thanks to a 9-2 spurt that featured two more threes from Norris and the lead changed hands three more times before a Donovan Clay dunk with 15 seconds remaining in the period sent the Bears into the locker room with a 35-33 edge.
Loyola had some great looks at the basket early in the second half but there seemed to be a lid on the hoop as the Ramblers misfired on 11 of their first 12 field goal attempts, while the Bears hit 7 of their first 13 shots, to stretch their lead to 50-39.
Staring a 20-point deficit (62-42) in the face with 6:43 remaining in the game, Loyola mustered one more last-ditch effort to get back into the game and wound up making things interesting down the stretch. Norris book-ended a 12-2 Rambler surge with a layup and a three-pointer to slice the Bears' advantage to 66-56 with 3:46 left to play as the Gentile Arena crowd came back to life.
Missouri State's lead was 70-58 with 2:49 remaining, but treys from Uguak and
Ryan Schwieger were part of a 9-3 burst that cut the deficit to 73-67, but Loyola was unable to get closer than a half-dozen points the rest of the way.
A Look at the Numbers
- Mosley finished with 40 points and added eight rebounds and two assists for the Bears, who shot 53.8 percent (28-for-52) from the field.
- Norris connected for four treys and wound up with 16 points as he scored in double digits for the third time in the last four contests, while also doling out five assists.
- Williamson reached double-digit points for the fifth straight outing, matching the longest streak of his career. The guard totaled 11 points, eight rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal.
- Williamson needs four more rebounds to become just the 23rdplayer in program history to accumulate over 1,000 points and 500 rebounds for his career.
- Schwieger and Uguak chipped in nine points apiece for the Ramblers, who had their second-worst, perimeter-shooting performance (.265) of the season.
Up Next
Loyola continues a busy stretch Tuesday night (Jan. 25) when it hosts Southern Illinois at 7 p.m.
