MILWAUKEE – The Ramblers dropped their first game of the season Sunday night in Milwaukee. San Francisco rallied back from being down 10 in the first half to a 10-point win over Loyola Chicago, 76-66.
 
With the loss, Loyola sits at 8-1 overall.
 
"I'd really like to thank our people and the fans that came out tonight. It felt like we were at home a few times in this game with how they got it rocking," said head coach Drew Valentine. "San Francisco is an extremely well-coached and talented team and make you pay when you mess up. That's exactly what they did tonight. Ultimately, it came down to free throw shooting if we look at things simply. We have to stay positive and connected. This game will only help us grow."
 
How It Happened
It was a streaky first half of scoring for both the Ramblers and Dons Sunday night. San Francisco tallied the first points before Francis Nwaokorie and Kymany Houinsou went for back-to-back baskets to put Loyola up by three. Malik Thomas drained a second half three for the Dons just under the 17-minute mark, but they would go nearly five minutes without another bucket.
 
Loyola pushed its lead to 10 with an 8-0 run. Miles Rubin sparked the Ramblers with a second-chance slam on a baseline cut. Veniamin Abosi got USF back within three, capping a 7-0 stretch for the Dons. Each team traded six unanswered. Sheldon Edwards Jr. drained one final three for Loyola in the final minute, and the Ramblers led at the break, 28-24.
 
In the opening minutes of the second, Watson and Nwaokorie hit two straight threes for the Ramblers for a seven-point edge. The Dons chipped their way back in, tying the game at 36-all on a Linguard three. They'd tie it again at 39 and take their first lead of the half on a three-point play by Beasley at the 13:14 mark. Nwaokorie followed up, tying the game 46-46 with a dunk for the Ramblers.
 
The Dons started to heat up, using a 9-0 run to swing momentum their way just under the 10-minute mark. Five minutes later, they kept the lead at nine with a transition three by Wang to go up 62-53. Quinn and Watson had two quick buckets for the Ramblers, cutting the lead to three with 3:28 to play. Loyola couldn't get closer, while USF was able to get ahead by 11 on an O'Donnell dunk with just over a minute to go. The Dons would hold on to win, 76-66.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Three Ramblers scored double-figures. Watson led with 14, Nwaokorie added 13, while Houinsou tallied 10.
- Jalen DeLoach grabbed a team-leading eight rebounds. Edwards Jr. added seven and Houinsou had five.
- Houinsou also tallied a team-best four assists.
- Rubin finished the night with five blocks. It's a season-high for the sophomore center this year and the fourth game of his career with at least five tallied.
- Loyola had an off night from the field, shooting 37.3 percent overall and 29.2 percent from three. The Ramblers also finished 15-of-32 at the foul line.
 
Up Next
Loyola looks to rebound with Canisius at home on Wednesday. Tip-off is 7 p.m. CT.