CHICAGO – For the third time this season,
Des Watson dropped 20 points to help Loyola Chicago to its first ever Atlantic 10 series sweep with a 77-62 win over Saint Louis. It's also the first home victory against the Billikens since the 1990-91 season. Watson finished 7-of-15 from the field with four made threes. He added three boards, four assists, two steals, and two blocks.
The Ramblers improve to 14-7 overall and 6-2 in the A10.
"Without
Jayden Dawson out there today, it was awesome to see our guys step up, respond, and people play different roles tonight," said head coach
Drew Valentine. "Guys were prepared for the moment. From game one to game two vs. Saint Louis, we had a lot of improvements. We were ready for the moment."
How It Happened
Saint Louis scored the first points Tuesday from the arc from the hands of Gibson Jimerson, but the Ramblers responded with six unanswered with dunks from
Miles Rubin and
Philip Alston. Alston scored the final four of the run, capping it on an alleyoop feed from Watson. The next three minutes saw three lead changes before the Billikens took control for most of the first-half.
SLU built its lead to nine by the eight-minute mark. Loyola began to chip away at the lead and got within two on a second-chance three from
Greg Dolan at the 5:30 mark. It sparked an 8-0 run with another three from
Sheldon Edwards on the next Rambler possession for a 27-26 lead. Loyola held on for a five-point advantage at halftime.
Braden Norris sent them into the break with a three, while Loyola held SLU without a made field goal in the final 3:24.
The Ramblers didn't slow down in the second taking their first double-digit lead of the game on a pull-up jumper from Dolan less than five minutes into the half. Norris made it a 16-point edge on his second three-pointer to wrap up another 8-0 Loyola run with 13:30 to play.
The Billikens got the lead down to 10, but Watson answered with six straight points to keep Loyola up 16 midway through. At the 9:17 mark, Watson netted another from deep for the biggest lead of the night, 62-48. SLU couldn't find a rhythm down the stretch, allowing the Ramblers to run away with the win, 77-62.
Inside the Box Score
- Norris finished with 16 points on 4-of-7 from the field with three drained from deep. He went 5-for-5 at the line.
- Dolan added 12 points, tying his season-high. He went 4-of-7 from the field and 3-for-4 at the line.
- Rubin stuffed the defensive stat line with seven boards, four blocks, and a steal. He's moving up the single-season charts, sitting in seventh with 49 this year.
- Loyola's 15-point victory is their largest conference margin of victory since joining the A-10.
- It's Loyola's first home victory against Saint Louis since Jan. 24, 1991.
- The Ramblers' eight blocks tonight give them 105 on the season as a team to tally the third most team blocks in a single season for Loyola.
Up Next
The Ramblers conclude this week's action with Davidson at home on Sunday. Tipoff is 12 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
