PITTSBURGH – Loyola Chicago battled back from a 15-point deficit against Richmond in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament Wednesday afternoon. The Ramblers closed the game on a 9-0 run to down the Spiders, 75-67.
 
Loyola advances to the second round to play the six seeded Davidson squad at 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday.
 
"We've got to give Richmond credit. They controlled the majority of the game," said head coach Drew Valentine. "That said, we have some really talented guys on our team who believe in this program. Players make plays. That is what March is all about. They stayed together and deserve the credit for making plays and getting it done."
 
How It Happened
The Ramblers and Spiders traded baskets to open the game and saw four ties before the first media timeout. Kayde Dotson and Deywilk Tavarez drained early threes to keep Loyola in the game. Richmond couldn't push their lead past four until a five-point stretch capped by a three from Jaden Daughtry to go up seven with 7:47 to play in the first.
 
Ola-Joseph made it a one-possession game at the free throw line with just under five to play, while threes from him and Dotson in the final two minutes kept it a four-point game. Richmond had the final basket of the half to take a 38-32 edge into the break.
 
In the opening minutes of the second, Ola-Joseph put away a second chance dunk to get Loyola within five, but the Spiders answered with a 10-0 run for their largest lead of the game at 53-38 with 13:26 to play. The Ramblers chipped their way back in, cutting it to eight with a 7-0 run. Miles Rubin scored six of those points, including a dunk with 10:44 to go.
 
Richmond scored the next four points, but Loyola used a 13-2 run over a five-minute stretch to get within one. Ola-Joseph had back-to-back threes to spark the run, while Tavarez banked a three in with 4:44 left on the clock. Dotson drained a three just over a minute later to tie it 61-61, while Ola-Joseph gave the Ramblers their first lead of the game with a three at the 2:59 mark.
 
Loyola and Richmond saw four more lead changes before the clock expired. Tavarez hit a three with 1:22 to claim the lead for the final time. It led Loyola on a 9-0 run to close the game and win, 75-67.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Ola-Joseph scored a career-high 26 points for the Ramblers. He was 7-8 from the field, 4-5 from three, and 8-8 at the free throw line. He added seven rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
- Dotson recorded 16 points on 6-11 from the field with four threes. He tallied four boards and an assist.
- Rubin and Tavarez scored 14 and 11 points, respectively. Rubin finished with six rebounds and four assists, while Tavarez had one board, three assists, and a steal.
- Loyola shot 54.5 percent from the field and made 11 threes to Richmond's 39 percent and nine threes.
 
Up Next
Tournament action continues Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CT. Loyola takes on Davidson in the second round.