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Loyola (Ill.) 78, McKendree 68
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
The Loyola (Ill.) Ramblers defeated a Division II opponent for the second straight game on Monday night at the Gentile Arena, but the Ramblers’ schedule will take a giant leap in their next contest.
Sophomore guard Milton Doyle scored 21 points and added eight assists, and senior forward Christian Thomas added 21 points as Loyola knocked off McKendree 78-68 to win for the second time against a Great Lakes Valley Conference opponent.
Loyola’s next game is Friday, when the Ramblers travel to play at Michigan State.
Thomas’ three-point play at the 1:37 mark of the first half gave Loyola its first double-digit lead of the game (35-23), as the Bearcats kept the game close for almost the entire first half.
Aided by the first-half cushion, the Ramblers kept McKendree at arm’s length after the break. The Bearcats scored two of the first three baskets after halftime to trim the deficit to single digits, but they could only get within six points once (48-42) when junior guard Chad McDowell converted a pair of free throws at the 14:52 mark.
Doyle scored back-to-back baskets to push the lead back to double digits.
This was the third and final matchup against a Division I opponent for McKendree, which previously lost to Evansville (88-60) and Northwestern (102-52).
Senior forward Matt Holmes led the Bearcats with 14 points. He was one of four McKendree players in double figures as the Bearcats shot 53 percent from the field.
The Ramblers, however, converted 60 percent of their field goals, led by Doyle (10 of 12) and Thomas (8 of 11).
