Feb. 28, 2015 Final Stats
Final Stats (PDF) | Season Stats | MVC-Only Stats | ArchMadness
CHICAGO - An 11-1 run over a four-minute stretch late in the second half helped propel Loyola to a 65-51 win over visiting Missouri State (11-19, 5-13 MVC) here Saturday afternoon in the regular-season finale for both clubs.
The decisive run by the Ramblers (8-12, 8-10) came on the heels of a clutch bucket by Dorrian Williams who tied the game, 45-45, on a contested shot in traffic with 8:55 to go.
But Loyola, which is the No. 6 seed for next week's MVC Tournament in St. Louis, controlled the next four minutes, with Christian Thomas scoring three times - twice on dunks - and Milton Doyle adding two more scores for the home side to make it a 56-46 game.
Thomas finished with a career-high 21 points with 12 rebounds for LUC, while Earl Peterson added 12 for the winning side.
Missouri State, which is the No. 8 seed for Arch Madness, was led by Austin Ruder with 14 points, while Gavin Thurman scored 10 off the bench. Camyn Boone led the Bears with 7 rebounds, while Christian Kirk blocked 3 shots.
The Bears were outscored 20-6 in the final 8:55 with Ruder hitting a short jumper, and Thurman knocking down a 3-pointer. Ruder scored in double figures for the second straight night and hit multiple treys for the third straight game.
The Bears finished 21-for-48 (.438) from the field and 4-of-17 (.235) from long range with a 5-of-9 (.556) effort at the line. MSU was out-rebounded 33-31 and committed 14 turnovers, including 9 in the second half.
Loyola was 26-for-56 (.464) overall, 3-of-16 (.188) from bonus distance and 10-of-18 (.556) at the foul line with just 6 turnovers.
After falling behind 11-2 in the first 4 minutes, 12 seconds, the Bears used a 6-1 run capped by a baseline jumper from Ruder to get the visitors back within 12-8 just before the 13-minute mark.
Later in the half with Loyola leading 20-14, Ruder led a 9-2 Missouri State outburst to give the Bears their first lead of the afternoon. The sophomore made 4-of-5 free throws on the stretch and knocked down a 3-pointer from the left corner with 4:04 to go in the half.
Before the intermission, it was freshman Shawn Roundtree, Jr., who added a spark, first on an athletic slash to the bucket, and later with a steal in the backcourt he took the distance. Camyn Boone ended the 6-0 run for the visitors with a hook shot in traffic at the 1:49 mark to put Missouri State ahead 29-26 before the Ramblers scored the final five points of the opening stanza to take a 31-29 advantage into the locker room.
The Bears now prepare for Thursday's opening-round game at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis where they will hold the No. 8 seed and play No. 9 seed Southern Illinois (11-20, 4-14) at 6:05 p.m., at Scottrade Center. For tournament information and ticket information, visit ArchMadness.com.
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2015 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament
Thursday, March 5 -- Session I
Game 1 -- #8 Missouri State (11-19, 5-13) vs. #9 Southern Illinois (11-20, 4-14), 6:05 p.m. [MVC TV Network] [WXOS Radio]
Game 2 -- #7 Drake (9-21, 6-12) vs. #10 Bradley (8-23, 3-15), 8:35 p.m. [MVC TV Network] [WXOS Radio]
Friday, March 6 -- Session II
Game 3 -- #1 Wichita State (27-3, 17-1) vs. Winner Game 1, 12:05 p.m. [MVC TV Network] [WXOS Radio]
Game 4 -- #4 Illinois State (19-11, 17-7) vs. #5 Evansville (19-11, 9-9), 2:35 p.m. [MVC TV Network] [WXOS Radio]
Friday, March 6 -- Session III
Game 5 -- #2 UNI (27-3, 16-2) vs. Winner of Game 2, 6:05 p.m. [MVC TV Network] [WXOS Radio]
Game 6 -- #3 Indiana State (15-15, 11-7) #6 Loyola (18-12, 8-10), 8:35 p.m. [MVC TV Network] [WXOS Radio]
Saturday, March 7 -- Session IV
Game 7 -- Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 1:35 p.m. [MVC TV Network] [WXOS Radio]
Game 8 -- Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 4:05 p.m. [MVC TV Network] [WXOS Radio]
Sunday, March 8 -- Session V
Championship -- Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 1:05 p.m. [CBS Sports, Westwood One, Sirius/XM Radio] [WXOS Radio]
