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More of the Same = Loss 19

2/21/04
by John C. Thomas
It’s happened so many times this season, it’s almost become a cliché. Loyola fell behind by double digits in the first half, made a furious comeback in the final minutes, missed several free throws in crunch time, and ended up losing by a respectable margin. Saturday afternoon the Ramblers fell 77-71 against Illinois State in an ESPN Bracket Buster game at Redbird Arena.

The Ramblers played perhaps their worst half of the year to open the game against the Redbirds. With ISU leading 24-17 and just over eight minutes remaining in the first half, Loyola went on an excruciating six minute and ten second scoring drought highlighted by nine straight possessions without a point. The Ramblers turned the ball over nine times in the first half and allowed ISU to shoot 50% from the field in the half. By the time the buzzer sounded for the break, ISU held a 38-22 advantage.

The Redbirds padded their lead through the opening minutes of the second half. When Najeeb Echols slammed down a dunk with 8:29 left to play, the Redbirds had a 60-39 lead.

But as Loyola fans have seen so many times this year, Loyola’s offense works best when sparked by solid defense. The Ramblers clawed their way back into the game courtesy of a pressing defense, and Paul McMillan and DaJuan Gouard scored a combined 32 points in the second half. Gouard’s three pointer with 1:02 left capped a 26-7 Loyola run that cut the ISU lead to 69-67.

That’s where the comeback ran out of gas. Vince Greene made six free throws in the final twenty seconds to nail down the win for the Redbirds. Greene was 10-for-10 on the day from the line en route to a career high 18 points.

Loyola lost by only six points, but missed 10 of their 28 free throws. Meanwhile, ISU missed only two of their 29 attempts.

Danville native DaJuan Gouard led all scorers with 22 points, and Paul McMillan had 21. Trey Guidry led ISU with 21.

Loyola’s loss, its 19th on the year, marks the eighth time in the last fifteen seasons that the Ramblers have lost at least 19 games.

Next for Loyola: Avoiding their 20th loss of the season on Senior Night, Thursday, February 26 against Cleveland State. Fortunately for the Ramblers, Cleveland State hasn’t just lost more than 20 games, they’ve lost 20 in a row coming into the regular season finale.