CHICAGO (November 7, 2022)
 
In Short…
A Sheldon Edwards jumper as time expired in regulation forced overtime as Loyola University Chicago (1-0) roared back to down visiting Fairleigh Dickinson (0-1) by a final score of 88-82 this evening in the regular season opener for both teams inside Gentile Arena.  Tonight's victory extends the Ramblers' win streak in season openers to 11 games.
 
How It Happened
Back-to-back threes from Saint Thomas got Loyola off to a fast start in front of a boisterous crowd in Rogers Park as the Ramblers raced out to an 8-3 lead with four minutes gone.  FDU battled back, going in front, 10-8, on a second-chance score by Heru Bligen.
 
A triple from Sean Moore gave the Knights their largest lead of the first half, 22-18, before Edwards rattled off five straight points, the last three of which came on a triple that edged the Maroon & Gold back on top, 23-22, at the 7:23 mark.  The lead reached seven, 41-34, on buckets from Jalen Quinn and Bryce Golden, respectively, but FDU refused to go away, as the Knights pulled back within two, 41-39, on Demetre Roberts' three as time expired in the first half.
 
Loyola looked to hit the accelerator early on in the second stanza, erupting for a 14-2 run that was punctuated by an old-fashioned three-point play by Quinn which gave the Ramblers a 57-45 lead with 15:29 remaining in regulation.  FDU countered with a push of its own, using a 13-0 surge to race back on top, 58-57, just before the midway point of the half.
 
With the visitors' lead sitting at 70-66 with 3:21 to play, Loyola again looked to battle back.  Quinn trimmed the gap to 70-68 before a second-chance bucket from Tom Welch evened it up at 70-70.  Two Braden Norris makes at the line shortly after put the Ramblers back in front, as the lead expanded to four, 75-71, on a driving score from Quinn with only 52 seconds to play.  FDU again responded, running off six unanswered points, with two Roberts free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining staking the Knights to a 77-75 lead, setting the stage for a dramatic close to regulation.
 
Welch, a former standout goalkeeper in high school, unleashed a full court pass the connected with Edwards at the free throw line.  The junior guard did the rest, stepping back to knock down a buzzer-beating jumper that knotted the game up at 77-77 and forced overtime.
 
Loyola ratcheted up its pressure on the defensive end, holding FDU to just one make from the field, a three by Sebastien Lamaute only 33 seconds in that cancelled out a Norris triple to open the frame and tie things up at 80-80. 
 
Norris split a pair at the charity stripe on Loyola's next trip down the floor, edging the Ramblers out in front, 81-80, before both teams went cold from the field as part of a 2:52 scoring drought that was snapped by another Edwards trey that stretched the margin to 84-80.  Loyola came up with multiple key defensive stops down the stretch, as it salted the game away from the free throw line and sent a record student crowd of 1,491 home happy.
 
Inside The Box Score
- Edwards was fantastic in his first appearance as a Rambler, putting up 19 points (7-13 FGs, 3-9 3FGs, 2-2 FTs), five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
- Welch, who provided the crucial assist on Edwards' basket that forced overtime, put together the top effort of his collegiate career, adding 15 points (6-6 FGs, 3-4 FTs) and a career-best 15 rebounds en route to his first double-double.  Welch is the first Rambler to collect at least 15 rebounds in a game since Montel James ripped down 17 caroms against Bradley back on March 3, 2016.
- Norris was an ironman, playing all 45 minutes as he finished with 14 points (4-13 FGs, 2-9 3FGs, 4-6 FTs), four rebounds, a team-best five assists, and two steals.
- Thomas rounded out a quartet of Ramblers in double figures with 11 points (4-9 FGs, 3-8 3FGs), seven rebounds, and three assists.
- Roberts put up 22 points (7-20 FGs, 3-11 3FGs, 5-7 FTs) to pace FDU and lead all scorers.
 
Up Next
Loyola makes the short trek across town to battle UIC on Friday, November 11.  Tip-off from inside Credit Union 1 Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m.