CHICAGO – Loyola Chicago dropped Thursday's night cap in Gentile Arena to Mercyhurst, 75-65. Justin Moore led the Ramblers with 25 points, including 21 scored in the second half.
 
With the loss, Loyola falls to 1-1 overall.
 
"Mercyhurst came in here confident and recovered from a loss to Northwestern earlier this week. They bounced back and the coaches put their team in a position to win," said head coach Drew Valentine. "We came out with a lack of fire, competitive, and toughness. I have to do a better job of putting the guys in a position to win."
 
How It Happened
It was a slow start for the Ramblers Thursday night. Miles Rubin opened the game with a dunk and scored four straight by the 12-minute mark, but the Lakers put the pressure on taking an 8-0 run and 17-13 lead into the 7:18 media timeout.
 
The run continued out of the break and Loyola faced a scoreless stretch that was over six minutes. Rubin finally broke up the Mercyhurst scoring at 5:58 inside on a layup. He hit double-figures a little over a minute later, but the Lakers stayed in control for the remainder of the half. They pushed their lead to 10 with 3:24 to go and took a 34-27 edge into the second.
 
The slow start continued into the second half with the first six points going to the Lakers. Loyola didn't get on the board until Dominick Harris put a free throw away at 14:13. The first field goal finally came at the 12:58 mark, but Mercyhurst pushed its lead to its largest yet at 17 with 12:43 to play, 47-30.
 
Justin Moore sparked the Ramblers offense with six straight points. He converted on a three-point play and then hit a three-pointer after Loyola forced a turnover on the press. The Lakers held on to a double-digit lead for much of the second half until a Rubin dunk cut it to nine, while Kayde Dotson's three on the break cut it to seven, 57-50, with just under 3:30 to play. Despite the late efforts from the Ramblers, the Lakers hung on to win, 75-65.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Moore dropped 25 points, marking his first 20-point performance in the Maroon & Gold. He finished 8-15 from the field and 6-7 at the line with three three-pointers.
- Rubin filled the box score with 16 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks.
- Joshua Ola-Joseph added 11 points after a 7-10 finish at the foul line.
- Moore had a game-high eight assists.
- Loyola shot 37.7 percent from the field to Mercyhurst's 46.3 percent.
- Loyola had 10 turnovers in the first half, resulting in 12 points for Mercyhurst. The Lakers finished with 17 points on 14 total turnovers by the Ramblers.
 
Up Next
Loyola and North Texas meet Sunday at 4 p.m. in Hoffman Estates at NOW Arena.