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LU Frontcourt Tops IPFW

1/25/03
by John C. Thomas
On an afternoon when David Bailey couldn't find his shot, Loyola's frontcourt duo of Paul McMillan and Demetrius Williams took control in the Ramblers' 80-71 victory Saturday at Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne. The two combined for 46 points on 69% shooting from the field while snagging 20 of the Ramblers' 41 rebounds and nailing all but one of 11 free throw attempts.

The Ramblers used good shooting (52%) to overcome 12 first half turnovers and enter the locker room with a 37-36 halftime lead.

The Mastodons took a six-point lead early in the second half, but the Ramblers picked up the defense. David Bailey rang up a career high five steals and hit a three-pointer-his only field goal of the game, giving him the Loyola all-time record for threes at 147-to give the Ramblers a lead for good at 61-58.

Demetrius Williams led the Ramblers with 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, and Paul McMillan earned his ninth double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 rebounds. As a team, Loyola outrebounded the Mastodons 41-27, including a 17-10 advantage on the offensive glass.

But there were a few disturbing stats from the game as well. Apart from David Bailey's 1-for-10 shooting, Loyola coughed up 21 turnovers to the Mastodons.

The Ramblers have a week off to prepare for their next game Saturday afternoon at the Gentile Center. Loyola has a nine game winning streak at home dating back to last year. But the opponent will be UW-Milwaukee, the last team to beat the Ramblers at home. Loyola will have to take care of the ball much better next Saturday against the team that forces the most turnovers in the league.