With an emphatic 80-59 victory, the Loyola Ramblers (20-7, 12-2 A10) completed a season sweep of the George Mason Patriots (18-9, 7-7 A10) in front of a sellout crowd at Gentile Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The Ramblers took a 7-2 lead early and it looked as if the momentum was all for Loyola in the first few minutes.
That is, until a string of three turnovers and no baskets over a 2:45 stretch allowed the Patriots to go on an 8-0 run into the first media timeout of the game.
George Mason’s lead of 11-9 at 15:00 would be the last time that they would be in front.
For the next seven minutes and two seconds, the Ramblers clamped up on defense and did not allow a made field goal – not even a free throw – for the Patriots to fall through the hoop.
The Ramblers’ lead continued to build into double digits for the rest of the half and led by 14 at the halftime break.
10 of the 11 Loyola players who saw minutes scored a basket and they dished out 15 assists. Meanwhile, George Mason had more turnovers than made baskets across the first 20.
The Patriots came out of the second half with a bit more pep to their step, but any positive momentum was quickly stifled.
Three consecutive possessions with a Rambler triple put Loyola up by more than 20, courtesy of senior forward Philip Alston and graduate guard Greg Dolan.
“When there was time to make a big momentum play, I thought we had better discipline than we had in the past,” head coach Drew Valentine said.
He added that the defense was “on it” and he was proud of the team and their execution.
Their lead would get up to 30 points at the 10 minute mark, and the scoring love would continue to spread in the second half for the Ramblers. Alston and graduate guard and de facto captain Braden Norris were the only two to sniff double figures all afternoon.
Even with a Quad 1 win against Dayton – their highest-ranked win in school history – one could say that George Mason might have had a little hangover from Wednesday night.
Star sophomore forward Keyshawn Hall was held to a season-low five points and only took seven shots. Fifth-year forward Amari Kelly and senior guard Darius Maddox were responsible for 36 of the team’s 59 points.
They currently sit in eighth place and will need some help from the middle of the pack if they want to have as much as a prayer to secure a top four double-bye for the conference championship.
The Ramblers’ win, contrarily, now allows them to hold one of those spots. Mathematically, they can’t finish worse than fourth place and will, at most, play just three games in Brooklyn.
“We feel confident in our group, and we think we’re the best team in this conference,” Alston said during the post-game press conference. “Game by game, day by day, we continue to show it.”
It might sound like a story ripped from a Disney movie, but a worst-to-first finish is still very much on the table for the Ramblers. They still hold a share of the top spot behind Richmond, who defeated Davidson this evening.
Through and through, Drew Valentine has continued to praise the players who stayed – and the lone assistant coach (his offensive coordinator Sean Dwyer) – for their belief in the program.
“It’s a great lesson in life that you can’t sit around in life and feel sorry for yourself,” he said. “When you double down on something, and you make the correct changes needed, you can have success.”
Valentine and the Ramblers will gear up for a one-game road trip to Olean Tuesday evening to take on the St. Bonaventure Bonnies (17-10, 8-7 A10).
Tip-off is set for 6 pm CST and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
