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Forty Years Ago Today
12/17/02
by John C. ThomasWednesday, December 19, 1962 vs. Indiana in Bloomington, Indiana
The first real test of the year for the Ramblers was a road trip to face the University of Indiana in Bloomington. The Hoosiers featured sophomores Tom and Dick VanArsdale, a pair of twins that were becoming Indiana basketball legends, and senior Jimmy Rayl, a former Indiana Mr. Basketball.
Indiana took an 11-point lead in the first half, but the Ramblers cut the Indiana advantage to 44-42 by the break. The two teams traded points for the first eight minutes of the second half.
With the score tied at 63 and 12:08 remaining in the game, the Ramblers made their move, going on a 23-8 run over the next six minutes en route to a 106-94 Loyola victory. Les Hunter led the charge with 17 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, while also snagging a game-high 19 boards.
For all intents and purposes, Loyola had the game won when Dick VanArsdale fouled out with 7:39 left, and his twin brother followed him to the bench with his fifth foul just a minute later. Rayl fouled out a few minutes later, putting all three of Indiana's stars out of the game and sending the capacity crowd of 8,383 at Gladstein Fieldhouse to the exits.
Loyola had their own problems with fouls, as Vic Rouse and John Egan both fouled out. But Billy Smith came to the rescue for Loyola, scoring 12 of his 14 points off the bench in the second half while capturing 10 rebounds.
Tom Bolyard led the Hoosiers with 27 points while Rayl chipped in 26 for the Hoosiers. Jerry Harkness added 24 points, Ron Miller had 17, and John Egan had 13 for the Ramblers. Loyola again dominated on the boards by a 67 to 54 margin.
The game was a powerful statement on the part of the Ramblers. Loyola had scored over 100 points in their first five contests against the lesser lights of college basketball, and they did it in the friendly confines of Alumni Gym. That was to be expected. But to go out on the road and score over 100 points for the sixth consecutive time in a decisive victory over a Big 10 powerhouse team in a basketball-obsessed state was a head-turner. The 106 points for Loyola set a record for opponents' points on their home court.
For the first time, the Chicago press was starting to wonder aloud if the Ramblers were for real. The Chicago Daily News wrote that the title-hungry town could have "a big winner and it could come in the form of a basketball team."
At 6-0, ranked #4 in the nation, and averaging 110 points per game, the Ramblers were beginning to look like a powerhouse. But on the horizon was another tough test-Loyola's next opponent would be #10 Seattle.