CHICAGO - Loyola Chicago closes the regular season at home Saturday afternoon with a 3 p.m. tipoff vs. La Salle. The Ramblers have won their last two games over No. 21 Dayton and Davidson. Loyola will honor seven members of the senior class prior to tipoff and look for their third straight win before post season action.
Saturday's game can we watched on ESPN+ with Jordan Bernfield (PXP) and Chris Sparks (Analyst) or be listened to on the Rambler Sports Network with Scott Sudikoff (PXP) and Christian Thomas (Analyst).
Quick Hits
• Loyola won its last two games against No. 21 Dayton (77-72) and at Davidson (69-59). Over the last 10 games, the Ramblers are 9-1, and they currently sit second in the A-10 standings.
• At Davidson earlier this week,
Miles Rubin stuffed the stat sheet. He tied his career-high with 13 points, while recording nine rebounds, five blocks, two steals, and an assist.
• Rubin's five blocks brought his season total up to 66. It ties Loyola's single season record set back in 1984-85.
• In the NCAA, Rubin ranks 21st in blocks per game (2.2) and 17th in total blocks (66). As a team, Loyola is averaging 5.0 blocks per game, ranking 22nd.
Dame Adelekun has 28 this season, while
Philip Alston adds another 19.
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Des Watson made his return to his former school dropping 13 points on 4-of-9 from the field with two threes. He added a team-best five assists with two rebounds and two steals.
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Braden Norris added 11 points with a season-high seven rebounds.
• Norris connected on 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. He needs nine more three-pointers to be the program's all-time leader in career three-pointers made. Norris also needs just two more assists to tally 500 as a Rambler, which ranks fourth all-time.
• Norris ranks in the country's top-50 in total assists (48th/150), assists per game (46/5.0), and assist to turnover ratio (48th/2.59). He tallied a season-high 11 dimes in a double-double vs. Davidson (19p/11a).
• Head coach
Drew Valentine is in his third season at the helm. He holds a 57-36 overall career record.
Scouting La Salle
The Explorers sit 10th in the A-10 standings with a 6-11 league record. They're 15-15 overall heading into the final game of the regular season. La Salle has won four of its last five games, including a 72-66 win over George Washington last weekend.
Khalil Brantley leads the Explorers in scoring with 15.3 points per game. He also averages 5.2 rebounds per game, 4.3 assists per game, and 1.6 steals per game. Brantley is on a three-game double-figure scoring streak, including a 22-point outing vs. Rhode Island where he drained five threes.
In his second season leading the Explorers, Fran Dunphy is 30-34 overall.
Series History
La Salle leads the all-time series 5-1.
Sheldon Edwards led Loyola with 25 points in a 76-73 win last season over the Explorers.
