CHICAGO (February 27, 2021)
 
In Short
Cameron Krutwig scored a team-high 20 points and had a key tip-in during the closing seconds in overtime to lift No. 21 Loyola University Chicago (21-4, 16-2 MVC) to a 65-58 victory over Southern Illinois (11-13, 5-13 MVC) tonight at Gentile Arena for its 22^nd straight home win. Today's win, coupled with Drake's loss earns the Ramblers the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship outright, marking the third time in four years Loyola has claimed at least a share of the league crown.
 
Coach Moser's Thoughts
"The team You think about all that these young guys have had to overcome this year. The shutdowns, the back-to-backs, no socialization, no fans to get you going. This a special one (championship) and this group has been resilient."
 
How It Happened
It was a pair of four-year members of the team, Krutwig and Lucas Williamson, both key figures on Loyola's 2018 Final Four team, that came up big in what could be the final home game of their illustrious careers.
 
Krutwig got off to a strong start, tallying six points and assisting on two other baskets as Loyola built a 13-9 lead in the first eight minutes of action. The Ramblers couldn't gain any more separation, with the pesky Salukis hanging around within four points the first 12 minutes of the half until Williamson keyed Loyola's run of 14 unanswered points with eight of his own, moving Loyola's lead to 31-16.
 
The lead would eventually hit 16 (36-20) on the final of Krutwig's seven first-half field goals and Loyola went into halftime in possession of a 38-25 advantage on the strength of 63 percent (17-for-27) shooting. The swarming Ramblers defense forced 13 Saluki turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
 
Loyola has some great looks in the first four-plus minutes of the second period, but connected on only one of its first six attempts from the field. Conversely, SIU drained four of its first six shots of the half, and Anthony D'Avanzo's three-pointer from the corner was part of a 11-2 run that trimmed the Loyola lead to 42-36.
 
Marquise Kennedy helped extend the advantage back to double digits (48-38), scoring four points in a 6-2 spurt, but a 13-2 Salukis burst was punctuated by a three from Lance Jones that gave SIU its first lead of the night, 51-50, with 5:18 remaining.
 
Kennedy put Loyola back on top with a layup and a pair of free throws from Norris moved the advantage to 54-51, but SIU rallied to tie the game at 56-56 and force overtime. Lance Jones had a chance to put his team ahead with 21 seconds on the clock, when he was fouled in the act of attempting a three-pointer, but after knocking down the first two foul shots, missed the third.
 
In the overtime session, Braden Norris' trey with 3:02 left provided the Ramblers with a 60-58 lead they would never relinquish. Loyola led 61-58 in the final minute and put the game away when, fittingly, Williamson pulled down a crucial offensive rebound and Krutwig tipped in Norris' missed layup with 11 seconds left to extend the lead to 63-58. Two seniors who have performed on the biggest stage coming up with big plays when their team needed them most.
 
A Look At The Numbers

• Krutwig posted 20 points, six boards, two assists, two blocks and a pair of steals, with Williamson contributing 13 points, five rebounds and five steals.
• Norris added 12 points and five assists and Kennedy recorded 10 points off the bench for Loyola, which forced 20 Salukis turnovers.
• Jones netted a game-high 30 points to pace Southern Illinois.
• Loyola has won 14 of its last 15 outings and with today's win set a program record for conference wins in a season with 16.

 
Up Next
Loyola heads to St. Louis for the 2021 MVC Championship and will play a quarterfinal round game on Friday, March 5 at 11 a.m. CT. The top-seeded Ramblers will face the winner of the No. 8 Bradley versus No. 9 Southern Illinois game.