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Forty Years Ago Today
12/15/02
by John C. ThomasSaturday, December 15 vs. South Dakota at Alumni Gym
During the winter break at Loyola, the rowdy student crowds were mostly absent, and neighborhood folks took their chance to see a top-ranked college basketball team for a bargain-basement price, albeit against dubious competition. Alumni Gym attracted 2,066 fans for a Saturday night face-off with the University of South Dakota Coyotes.
The Coyotes tried to control the ball against the Ramblers, but Loyola built a 19-8 lead in the first seven minutes and was never in trouble. The full-court press intercepted six South Dakota passes in the first 12 minutes of the game. By halftime, the South Dakota strategy of slowing down the Ramblers and holding the ball was exposed as a complete failure, as evidenced by the scoreboard: Loyola 57, South Dakota 26. The commanding lead again allowed Loyola to play all 12 men en route to a 105-58 win.
Jerry Harkness and Ron Miller led the Ramblers with 18 points apiece, while reserve forward Earl Johnson had a fantastic game, scoring seven points and snagging a game-high 14 boards.
The Loyola starters hadn't really been tested yet-none of them were averaging more than 26 minutes coming into the game, and the most minutes any player had seen was reserve forward Chuck Wood's 33 minutes against South Dakota.
Jack Kerris, Loyola's All-American center from the 1949 squad was one of the two officials for the game.