CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (November 25, 2022)
 
In Short…
Loyola University Chicago (2-4) whittled a 14-point second-half deficit down to four in the closing seconds, but was unable to complete its comeback, as Harvard (5-1) held on for a 61-55 victory this afternoon inside Lavietes Pavilion in Cambridge, Mass.
 
How It Happened
Luka Sakota knocked down a three with 50 seconds gone, kick-starting a game-opening 5-0 spurt for the hosts.  After a Bryce Golden hook shot got the Ramblers on the board, 5-2, the Crimson ripped off 11 unanswered points before Marquise Kennedy finished inside to snap the surge, trimming Harvard's lead to 16-6 at the 12:18 mark.
 
With the Harvard lead sitting at 21-11, Loyola used an 8-0 run to cut into the Crimson's lead, with buckets on consecutive trips by Golden cutting the deficit to two, 21-19.  Harvard pushed its lead back out to seven, 27-19, before Braden Norris' second triple of the afternoon pulled Loyola within five, 27-22, with 3:44 to play.  Golden beat the shot clock buzzer with just over a minute remaining to again make it a five-point game, 31-26, but Evan Nelson finished at the rim as time wound down to send the hosts into halftime with a 33-26 lead.
 
After putting up 14 points in the first half, Chris Ledlum spurred on the Crimson early in the second half, scoring Harvard's first nine points of the frame, with his three at the 15:30 mark extending the gap to 42-30. 
 
Tom Welch connected from beyond the three-point arc, cutting the margin to single digits, 48-39, with 11:59 to play.  A baseline drive from Ben Schwieger chipped the lead down to six, 49-43, with 9:34 remaining.  Harvard responded, going up, 55-45, on a Ledlum steal and score three minutes later.
 
Schwieger looked to spark a final push, hammering home a highlight reel dunk after contact, with his conventional three-point play pulling Loyola back within seven, 57-50, at the 4:56 mark.  Sheldon Edwards added a deep triple with 49 seconds remaining to make it 59-53.  Philip Alston flushed home with 11 seconds to go to cut the lead to 59-55, but Loyola would get no closer, as Harvard closed out a second consecutive home win.
 
 
Inside The Box Score
- Welch led Loyola on the afternoon, putting up a team-best 12 points (5-6 FGs, 2-3 3FGs) as he reached double figures in scoring for the third time in 2022-23.
- Schwieger chipped in nine points (3-8 FGs, 3-3 FTs) and a team-high three assists, while Golden added eight points (4-5 FGs) and five rebounds.
- Ledlum poured in 30 points (11-17 FGs, 2-4 3FGs, 6-10 FTs) to lead all scorers.
 
Up Next
Loyola opens a stretch of three straight games within the friendly confines of Gentile Arena on Wednesday, November 30 when it hosts Central Arkansas in an 8 p.m. tip-off.