PITTSBURGH – Loyola Chicago opened a two-game road trip with a 69-56 loss at Duquesne. The Dukes were able to capitalize on turnovers and on the fast break to steal the win. Des Watson led all-scorers with 14 points.
 
With the loss, Loyola falls to 14-9 overall and 5-5 in Atlantic 10 play.
 
"Duquesne just had more juice and pop tonight," said head coach Drew Valentine. "We had two poor days of practice. I just talked to the guys in the locker room and said we have to work for and earn everything we want. It's disappointing because we were coming off two solid wins and playing well, but if we keep perspective and get our mentality right, we will bounce back. I still love coaching these guys and believe in what they can do."
 
How It Happened
The Dukes struck first as the Ramblers went 0-2 with three turnovers in the first three minutes. Jayden Dawson went down court and hit a three at the 16:21 mark to spark the offense, while Des Watson nabbed a steal at the top of the arc for a wide-open dunk. Loyola jumped ahead 11-6 on a 6-2 run capped by Jalen Quinn from three-point range, and the Ramblers maintained a lead by the midway point.
 
The Dukes battled to tie the game 11-11 with three offensive boards allowing Jakub Necas to put the tying bucket away with 9:24 on the clock. Duquesne kept an 11-0 run alive to take a 17-11 edge by the eight-minute mark.  Sheldon Edwards Jr. kept the Ramblers alive with their final eight points of the half. He hit a pull-up jumper with 1:29 on the clock, pulling Loyola within two, 29-27. The Dukes added five more before the buzzer sounded, leading 34-27 at the half.
 
Loyola quickly erased Duquesne's lead with a 9-0 run to start the second half. Watson hit a jumper inside the paint at the 12:47 mark for a 37-36 Rambler lead. The Dukes were held without a bucket until Kareem Rozier drained a pull-up with 12:33 to play. The next five minutes saw five lead changes before Duquesne held never got above five.
 
Edwards Jr. knocked down a three with 5:20 on the clock to get the Ramblers within two, while a minute later Kymany Houinsou used a jumper to keep it within three. The Dukes answered with an 8-0 run, including two threes for an 11-point edge at the 1:31 mark, that would help seal the win. Duquesne takes it, 69-56.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Watson finished 6-19 from the field with two threes. He recorded six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
- Edwards Jr. scored 11 on 4-9 from the field. He drained three from deep, tallied four boards, two assists, and a steal.
- Rubin added 10 points, four rebounds, and three blocks.
- Jalen DeLoach matched Rubin's three blocks.
- Dawson finished with seven points and a team-high seven boards.
- First-half turnovers hurt the Ramblers. They tallied 10 that led 16 points for the Dukes.
 
Up Next
The road trip continues at Richmond Feb. 11. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT.