CHICAGO – Loyola Chicago dropped its Atlantic 10 opener against VCU Saturday afternoon, 84-65. The Ramblers led by three at the half in a game that saw 12 lead changes before a scoreless stretch for the Ramblers in the second half sealed the win for the Rams.
 
Loyola falls to 9-5 overall and 0-1 in A-10 play.

"Our offense was moving and flowing in the first half. Des and Jayden were all over the place," said head coach Drew Valentine. "In the second half, guys wanted to do what they wanted to do, and we got stagnant and lost our flow. We were dribble, dribble, iso, and that's not who we are. And then we let our offense effect our defense. Thirty second chance points. You get your butt kicked with that."
 
How It Happened
VCU controlled the opening six minutes with a 13-7 lead by the 14:27 media timeout. Jayden Dawson made his return with an opening three while Des Watson had a couple early buckets. Watson then led Loyola on a 7-0 run with a three and pull-up jumper to give the Ramblers their first lead, 14-13.
 
The game then saw seven lead changes ahead of a seven-point lead for Loyola on a Watson three at the 3:06 mark. A little less than a minute later, Watson sunk another triple for Loyola's largest lead yet at eight, 38-30. VCU was able to chip away ahead of the halftime break, and Joe Bamisile's three with 40 second to go cut it to three. The Ramblers led at the break, 40-37.
 
The Rams scored seven of the first nine points to swing momentum and the lead, 44-42. Sheldon Edwards Jr. built Loyola's lead back to five after draining a three for his 1,000^th career point at the 12:05 mark. VCU scored six unanswered to retake the lead and hold it for the remainder on a second-chance bucket from Jack Clark under the 10-minute mark.
 
The Ramblers faced a five-minute stretch without a field goal, allowing the Rams to go on a 19-3 run. Watson snapped the stretch with a corner three, but it wasn't enough to halt VCU. The Rams built their lead to double-digits on a 16-0 run. Phillip Russel pushed the lead to 19 with 2:05 to play, while his three about half a minute later gave them a 20-point edge. VCU ran away with the win, 84-65.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Edwards Jr. scored his 1,000^th career point. He has 417 career points as a Rambler.
- Watson finished with a team-high 20 points. It marks his second 20-point game this season.
- Watson added three boards and three assists.
- Dawson scored 10 in his return.
- Jalen DeLoach added eight points and eight boards.
- Jalen Quinn had seven of Loyola's 17 assists.
 
Up Next
The Ramblers head to Philadelphia for a pair of games. First up, Loyola will play at La Salle on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT.