The Loyola Ramblers took victory in their return to Gentile Arena, defeating the George Mason Patriots by a score of 69-61. The win evens the score with the Patriots, with George Mason handing them a loss earlier in the season. The Ramblers now improve to 8-14 (2-8 A10) on the year. Here are three observations from the game:
Depth leads Ramblers to victory
Loyola showed today that when they fire on all cylinders, their bench is deep. Leading the Ramblers today was the trio of Braden Norris, Bryce Golden, and Philip Alston, each of them with 13 points a piece. Coming just short of double digits but still playing a large role was Marquise Kennedy with 9 points, along with Jeameril Wilson and Ben Schwieger, with the latter leading the team with 7 rebounds. Their depth was on display all game, with all nine of their players that saw the court reaching the scoresheet.
A new season-low for turnovers
NCAAB
Loyola’s season-long battle has been with holding on to the basketball, ranking near the top of the nation in turnovers per game. In this game however, the Ramblers played arguably their cleanest game of the season, only giving the ball up 6 times to set a new season low. On the opposite end, the Ramblers forced 10 turnovers from the Patriots, holding them to a 32 percent field goal clip throughout the game.
Loyola holds on amidst foul trouble
While the Ramblers were able to pull away with the win, they came close to giving it away due to their fouling. Fouls proved to be a problem all game, losing both Golden and Tom Welch by the end of the game. The Ramblers struggled to find a consistent big man, rotating between Golden, Welch, and Jacob Hutson. The Ramblers finished the night with 22 personal fouls, allowing the Patriots to convert on 25 of their 30 free throw attempts.
The Ramblers return to action on Wednesday, with a rematch against Saint Joseph’s scheduled for 8 p.m. on NBC Sports Chicago.