CHICAGO, Ill. (February 22, 2023)
 
In Short…
In a game that featured 14 ties and 13 lead changes, Loyola University Chicago (9-18, 3-12 A-10) dropped a hard-fought 71-69 decision to Fordham Wednesday evening inside Gentile Arena.
 
Philip Alston was 1-of-4 Ramblers to finish in double figures with a team-high 19 points. Sheldon Edwards had his best game with Loyola since the team's season opener with 11 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, in 11 minutes off the bench. Bryce Golden added 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting while Ben Schwieger chipped in 11 points and a team-best five rebounds.
 
How It Happened
Loyola was firing on all cylinders in the early going, starting 6-for-9 from the field to build a 13-8 lead. A pair of Ben Schwieger dunks highlighted the early going, with Fordham sticking around thanks to a pair of 3-pointers.
 
Tied at 15-all with 13:55 to play in the opening half, Loyola's defense began to clamp down, holding Fordham scoreless over a six-minute stretch to build a 20-15 lead with 7:54 to play. Six different Ramblers scored in the early going, led by five points from Ben Schwieger and four points each from Jalen Quinn and Bryce Golden.
 
A 7-0 Rambler run gave Loyola a 34-29 lead with just over a minute and a half to play, but six of the final eight points in the closing stretch were scored by the Rams to put Loyola up by a point, 36-35, headed into the halftime break.
 
Neither team was able to create any separation to start the second half until a 7-0 Fordham run over 1:29 of game action put the Rams up 51-46. Quinn quickly ended the run with a layup on the offensive end to pull the Ramblers within three with just under 11 minutes to play in the game.
 
After Loyola rallied back with a run of their own to take a one-point lead, six unanswered points by the Rams put Loyola in a five-point deficit at 61-56 with 5:24 remaining in the contest. The Ramblers slowly began to chip away, as their next five points would come from the free throw line, pulling Loyola within one at 62-61 with 2:02 to play.
 
Sheldon Edwards kept the Ramblers alive, knocking down a key 3-pointer with 1:05 left to even the score at 64-all. Following a Fordham triple, Edwards hit a pair at the line to pull Loyola within one. The Rams would score four in a row at the line to take a 5-point lead with seven second left, but another Edwards triple made it a 2-point game with four seconds left. Fordham missed a pair at the line, but Loyola was unable to get a desperation attempt off before the buzzer.
 
Inside The Box Score

• Alston scored in double digits for the fourth straight game and the 21^st time this season, finishing with 19 points
• Sheldon Edwards had a season high 3 3-pointers en route to his 11-point performance
• The Ramblers outscored the Rams in the paint 38-24
• The Ramblers had 3 players shooting 60% or higher from the floor including Edwards (75%), Bryce Golden(71%), and Alston(62%)
• Ben Schwieger finished with 4 rebounds on the night, his fifth consecutive game with 4+ rebounds

 
Up Next
Loyola hits the road for a rematch against Saint Louis on Saturday, February 25. Tip-off against the Billikens is set for 5 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.