What went down: After losing to Missouri State University to open Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play, the Loyola men’s basketball team (11-3, 1-1) defeated the University of Evansville 64-57 at Gentile Arena Dec. 30.
How it happened: The Ramblers were down 28-20 at halftime and were only shooting at a 36 percent clip. The second half proved to be a different story as the team shot 64 percent from the field to come back and upend the Purple Aces. The victory gave head coach Porter Moser his 100th victory in six years at Loyola. Moser is the sixth coach in program history to reach 100 wins.
Analysis: Loyola was led by redshirt junior Marques Townes’ 19 points and senior Aundre Jackson’s 18 points. Townes had two points at the break but came back to go 5-for-7 from the field and 3-for-3 from three-point range in the second half. The Edison, New Jersey native is averaging 12.6 points per game this season.
Jackson, who was left out of the starting lineup for the first time this season after shooting 6-for-22 in his last two games, regathered and shot 8-for-13 from the field against Evansville. Jackson is a catalyst for the offense, leading the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game on average.
After missing 10 games with a broken hand, senior guard Ben Richardson returned to the starting lineup against Evansville. While he only tallied four points, he grabbed four rebounds and dished three assists. With Richardson returning, the Ramblers have their best defender back, which will help as MVC play heats up.
What’s next? Loyola is scheduled to take on Indiana State University at home Jan. 3.
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