Jan. 8, 2011

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CHICAGO - Loyola University Chicago (10-7, 1-5 Horizon) held Wright State (11-6, 4-1 Horizon) to 58 points, but struggled on the offensive end itself to fall to the Raiders, 58-41, at the Gentile Center this afternoon. Redshirt freshman Gabe Kindred tallied nine points to lead the Ramblers, who have dropped seven of their last 10 outings.

Loyola scored the first five points of the game thanks to a jumper by Geoff McCammon and a three-pointer by Terrance Hill, but Wright State countered by scoring 11 straight points, with guards Vaughn Duggins (6) and N'Gai Evans (5) accounting for the entire output in that Raider run, and never looked back.

The Ramblers trailed by only a basket with four and a half minutes left in the period but AJ Pacher's three-pointer began a half-closing 14-1 WSU spurt that gave the visitors a 34-19 advantage at the break. After hitting its first two shots of the game, Loyola converted only 4 of its final 19 attempts (21 percent) in the opening 20 minutes, while Wright State connected on 52 percent (12-for-23) of its tries.

Wright State extended its lead to as many as 22 points (45-23) in the second stanza before Loyola mounted a comeback as Ben Averkamp and Kindred combined for nine points in a 13-2 surge, closing within 47-36 on Kindred's three from the top of the key. The Raiders, however, responded by rattling off the game's next nine points to regain command and Loyola would manage only five points in the final seven minutes of the contest.

In addition to Kindred's team-high nine points, Loyola also received eight points, all coming in the second half, from Averkamp, while Walt Gibler notched seven points and six rebounds. Andy Polka snagged a team-best eight rebounds, his most since Dec. 8 as he closed in on eighth place on the school's all-time list. The 6-foot-7 senior now has corralled 876 rebounds in his career and trails Clarence Red (888) by 12 caroms for eighth place in Loyola annals.

Evans led Wright State, which has won eight of its last nine games, with 15 points and nine rebounds, while also chipping in five assists and five steals.

Loyola returns to action next Thursday (Jan. 13) when it travels to Green Bay.