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Another Loss at Calihan

2/18/04
by John C. Thomas
With the wheels completely off and the Ramblers limping to the finish line, Loyola visited the Motor City to try and avoid losing their 11th straight game at Calihan Hall and their 13th game in their last 14 outings. The Ramblers again made it uncomfortable for their opponents, but ended up losing 69-62 Wednesday night in Detroit.

After the Titans took a six point lead early in the game, the Ramblers fought back with some excellent defense through the first half. Blake Schilb scored 11 points before the break, nine of them on threes, to help Loyola tie the game at 28 with just over a minute and a half to play. But with three possessions to try and take a halftime lead, the Ramblers came up with two turnovers and a one-and-done trip.

Loyola finally earned a lead with another three pointer by Schilb that gave LU a 33-30 advantage with 18:00 left to play, and two minutes later the Ramblers extended their lead to four at 35-31.

The Titans answered with a 5-0 run, and then took a 38-37 lead with just over 13 minutes remaining. It was a lead they would never relinquish.

Loyola had many opportunities, though. After the Titans spurted out to a 46-41 lead, Loyola got to within a bucket at 52-50 with six minutes left and 54-52 with 5:15 remaining. Inability to make crucial defensive stops kept the Titans just out of reach.

After DaJuan Gouard cut a six-point Detroit lead in half with an off-balance three pointer in the final 30 seconds to make it 64-61, the Titans made a basket and free throws while holding LU to one point before the final buzzer.

Blake Schilb led Loyola with 16 points while Demetrius Williams (14), Paul McMillan (13) and Gouard (10) also scored in double figures. Detroit’s Rulon Harris led all scorers with 17 points.

The Ramblers were again shorthanded, with Majak Kou still unable to play because of a fractured toe and Terrance Whiters not making the trip to Detroit for undisclosed reasons.

Loyola has lost five games in a row since their improbable, controversial overtime win over the Titans at the Gentile Center on January 31. Tonight’s loss, the Ramblers’ 13th in their last 14 games, was the 100th loss in Coach Larry Farmer’s career at Loyola. With their 12 conference losses, the Ramblers tie their record for conference losses in a season set by the 2000-01 team. It was also the 12th loss in a row against Detroit away from home and the 11th loss in a row at Calihan Hall.

Detroit’s Calihan Hall isn’t the only venue in the league where the Ramblers currently have a double-digit losing streak-- Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse with 16, and the UIC Pavilion with 15 are the others. Loyola’s last win at Calihan came on February 15, 1992.

Thanks to this year’s losses at the Resch Center in Green Bay and the Nutter Center in Dayton, Loyola currently has a losing streak at every venue in the conference with the exception of Cleveland’s Convocation Center. Loyola has won its last two games at CSU since the loss to UIC in the 2002 Horizon League Tournament final.

The Ramblers’ next game is Saturday at 4:05 p.m. central time in the Bracket Buster event at Illinois State. Loyola has a one game losing streak in that building, too.