Loyola Chicago blew a big lead in the first half but recovered after the break as Lucas Williamson scored 15 points to lead the Ramblers to a 68-64 victory over DePaul in the Red Line rivalry Saturday afternoon in Chicago.
In the first meeting of the teams since 2012, Chris Knight scored 13 points and made a slam-dunk with 45 seconds left that helped seal it. Aher Uguak added 12 points as Loyola (7-2), coming off a trip to the Sweet 16, relied on its big-game experience.
Williamson also led the Ramblers' defense, playing a big role in containing his former high school teammate Javon Freeman-Liberty, the Big East scoring leader, who managed just seven points, 16 fewer than his average, fouled out with 3:58 left. Williamson and Freeman-Liberty played together at Chicago's Whitney Young High.
David Jones scored 19 points for DePaul (6-1), but only four came in the second half when Loyola used its superior depth to take command. Jones added a game-high eight rebounds. Nick Ongenda added 11 points, including four in the final three minutes to help keep DePaul close.
The Blue Demons had a six-point lead early in the second half but the Ramblers answered with a nine-point run, climaxed by a 3-pointer from Ryan Schwieger, who finished with nine points and five rebounds.
A six-point run, triggered by a jumper by Schwieger, midway through the half, put Loyola in command for good.
It was a wild first half. As DePaul missed its first eight shots, Loyola roared to a 13-0 lead. Jalen Terry finally broke the ice with a 3-pointer. But the Ramblers remained in control as a layup by Ryan Schwieger gave them their biggest lead, 23-8.
But DePaul recovered with a 19-3 run. Jones scored 10 of his points during the spree and Terry highlighted the surge with a 3-pointer and an alley-oop slam.
When Freeman-Liberty scored his first two points of the game, hitting a pair of free throws to culminate the run, DePaul had its first lead, 27-26, and the Blue Demons had needed just 9:29 to wipe out the 15-point deficit.
Freeman-Liberty remained on the attack as he hit a 3-pointer, tipped in a shot and fed Jones for a layup as DePaul took a 37-31 lead into the break.
--Field Level Media
Loyola-Chicago | DePaul | |
Lucas Williamson 15 | Scoring | David Jones 19 |
Braden Norris 4 | Assists | Philmon Gebrewhit 3 |
Marquise Kennedy 7 | Rebounds | David Jones 9 |
Aher Uguak 6 | Free Throws Made | Nick Ongenda 3 |
Lucas Williamson 3 | Steals | Philmon Gebrewhit 2 |
Chris Knight 1 | Blocks | Yor Anei 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Loyola-Chicago | 68 | 49.1 | 5-18 | 11-15 | 12 | 33 | 1 | 6 | 15 |
DePaul | 64 | 39.1 | 5-23 | 9-13 | 9 | 29 | 7 | 6 | 10 |