MUNCIE, Ind. (December 3, 2019)
 
In Short
A balanced attack that featured four players in double figures helped Loyola University Chicago (5-4) to a 70-58 victory over Ball State (4-4) tonight at Worthen Arena. The win is the Ramblers' second straight overall and first-ever over the Cardinals.
 
How It Happened
Loyola, which had point guard Keith Clemons in the starting lineup and making his Ramblers debut, got off to a strong start, jumping out to an 8-2 lead behind a stingy defense that limited the Cardinals to 1 of their first 6 from the field (.167) and forced a pair of Ball State turnovers. 
 
Ball State rallied however, evening the score at 13 on a three-point by Ishmael El-Amin, but a 16-3 Ramblers spurt, that featured 10 points from Lucas Williamson and six from Cameron Krutwig, put Loyola back on top, 29-16.
 
The Ramblers wound up limiting the Cardinals to a paltry 25 percent (5-for-20) shooting, including just one field goal inside the arc, in the first half to take a 31-18 advantage into the locker room.
 
A quick strike, highlighted by threes from Aher Uguak and Keith Clemons, at the outset of the second period helped extend Loyola's advantage to 39-21, its largest of the night to that point. The Ramblers knocked down 4 of their first 6 tries from long distance in the first six-plus minutes of the half as their lead eventually expanded to 45-22 on another triple from Clemons.
 
Ball State closed the gap significantly late in the game, getting within nine points on a few occasions but Loyola drained all eight of its attempts from the charity stripe in the final 1:17 to seal the outcome.
 
A Look At The Numbers

• Krutwig just missed recording his third double-double of the year, finishing with 14 points, nine rebound, four assists and three steals.
• Hall, an Indiana native who was playing in front of a large contingent of fans, totaled 14 points, six boards and five assists.
• Clemons, in his Rambler debut after missing the first eight games with a knee injury, racked up 13 points and three assists, and Williamson chipped in 10 points.
• Loyola hit 9 of 15 shots (.600) from three-point range of the night.
• Ishmael El-Amin led Ball State with a game-high 24 points.

 
Up Next
Loyola is back at Gentile Arena Saturday (Dec. 7) when it hosts Quincy at 1 p.m.