VALPARAISO, Ind. (December 30, 2019)
 
In Short
Four players scored in double figures as Loyola University Chicago (9-5, 1-0 MVC) held off  Valparaiso's (7-7, 0-1 MVC) late rally for a 66-63 victory tonight at the Athletics-Recreation Center in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams. Junior center Cameron Krutwig recorded another double-double, finishing with 13 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals to pace the Ramblers.
 
Coach Moser's Thoughts
"That was a typical Missouri Valley game. Two teams grinding it out, every possession mattered, neither team wanted to quit, and we were fortunate enough to be ahead when it ended."
 
How It Happened
Loyola darted out to a 17-9 lead before Valparaiso countered with nine unanswered points to seize a short-lived 18-17 advantage with 10:17 remaining in the opening period. The Ramblers immediately had an answer to the Crusaders' spurt, scoring nine straight points of their own, the last two on a layup from Tom Welch, to reclaim the lead, at 26-18.
 
The Maroon and Gold would push their lead to as many as 11 points (35-24) until Valpo reeled off the final four tallies of the period to slice Loyola's edge to 35-28 at the half. Loyola did a masterful job defensively in the opening 20 minutes, holding Valpo leading scorer Javon Freeman-Liberty to just two points on 1 of 7 shooting.
 
After the Crusaders got within three points, a Keith Clemons basket ignited a stretch of 11 unanswered points that elevated the Ramblers' advantage to 49-35, the largest of the game to that point. Loyola's lead stood at 51-37 following a pair of free throws from Lucas Williamson with 11:00 left to play, but Valpo wouldn't go down without a fight, using a 13-3 run to claw back within 54-50 until a Krutwig dunk stemmed the tide.
 
Valpo eventually worked its way within a single point, at 56-55, with 4:42 remaining, but Jalon Pipkins tallied four points, including a clutch three-pointer from the left corner, as part of a 6-0 burst that bumped the Loyola lead to 62-55.
 
Loyola struggled at the foul line down the stretch, but Clemons drained a pair of free throws with 9 seconds remaining for a 66-63 advantage and the Ramblers' defense came up with a stop when they needed it most at the end to hang on for the hard-fought victory.
 
A Look At The Numbers

• Pipkins, who has been a consistent performer off the bench of late, matched Krutwig with a team-high 13 points and Tate Hall contributed 12 points and six boards for Loyola, which won its MVC opener for the second straight season.
• Clemons finished with 11 points and five assists and Williamson played a solid game, especially at the defensive end, where he limited Freeman-Liberty to a season-low 10 points on 4 of 12 shooting. Williamson totaled five points, six rebounds and five assists.
• Donovan Clay led Valpo with a game-high 21 points.

 
Up Next
Loyola hosts preseason MVC favorite Missouri State January 4 at 7 p.m.