CONWAY, S.C. (November 17, 2022)
 
In Short…
Philip Alston put up a team-high 18 points, but Loyola University Chicago (2-1) was done in by 22 turnovers as it dropped an 85-66 decision to Tulsa (2-1) in the quarterfinals of the Myrtle Beach Invitational this evening at the HTC Center in Conway, S.C.
 
How It Happened
After two Saint Thomas free throws put the Ramblers on the board first, 2-0, Loyola went through a prolonged scoring drought, aided by six turnovers over the first 4:02, as Tulsa rattled off eight unanswered points to charge in front, 8-2.  Marquise Kennedy, who made his 2022-23 debut this evening, snapped the cold spell with a triple that cut the gap in half, 8-5, with 14:29 to play.
 
With Tulsa's lead sitting at 13-5, Loyola caught fire from outside as Braden Norris, Alston, and Ben Schwieger all connected from deep, with Schwieger's trey putting the Maroon & Gold on top, 14-13.  Tom Welch took over shortly after, putting up six straight points of his own to cap off a 15-0 surge that pushed the gap to 20-13 and prompted a Golden Hurricane timeout with 7:47 to go in the half.
 
Slowly but surely, Tulsa chipped away, regaining the lead, 25-24, on two Keyshawn Embrey-Simpson makes at the charity stripe at the 2:56 mark.  A driving score by Alston in the stanza's closing seconds saw Loyola pull even at 30-30 heading to locker room.
 
Jalen Quinn attacked inside only 10 seconds into the second half to send Loyola back in front, 32-30.  Following a conventional three-point play from Alston that tied the game at 38-38, Tulsa used an 8-0 run to take a lead that it would not relinquish, with back-to-back Sam Dalger triples staking the Golden Hurricane to a 46-38 advantage with 13:32 remaining.  Brandon Betson connected from outside just over a minute later, stretching Tulsa's lead into double figures, 52-41, as Loyola got no closer than 12 the rest of the way.
 
Inside The Box Score
- For the second time in as many games, Alston paced Loyola, going 7-for-12 from the field and 3-for-5 from the free throw line en route to his aforementioned output.
- Kennedy chipped in nine points (3-6 FGs, 2-4 3FGs, 1-2 FTs), while Norris added eight points (3-7 FGs, 2-5 3FGs) and a team-high four assists.
- Tulsa cashed in for 34 points off Loyola's 22 miscues, outscoring the Ramblers in the category by a 34-15 margin.
- Sam Griffin poured in 20 points (8-13, 4-8 3FGs), all of which came in the second half, to lead the Golden Hurricane.
 
Up Next
Loyola will battle Boise State in the consolation round of the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Friday at 8:30 p.m. (CT) in a game that will be televised on ESPN+.