CHICAGO – Loyola Chicago used a team effort Saturday night to down Goshen College, 115-64. Thirteen Ramblers scored in the action, led by Philip Alston who tied his Division I career-high with 25 points.
 
Alston finished 9-of-11 from the field with one three. He hit 6-of-7 from the line and added three boards and a block all in just 16 minutes.
 
The Ramblers improve to 6-4 overall.
 
"Regardless of who we play, we try to treat every game like the super bowl," said head coach Drew Valentine. "Your preparation has to be the same no matter who you play. I thought our guys did a decent job coming out with the right mindset. That was great for us to see, especially after Tuesday. I'm really pleased with our group and how we responded and performed in a game like today."
 
How It Happened
Alston battled on the block for the first points of the game and went on to score the next six for Loyola setting the pace Saturday.  By the first media timeout, the Ramblers held a 13-3 edge. Alston hit double-figures just after the eight-minute media time out on a lob inside from Greg Dolan.
 
Dolan kept momentum going with two straight threes, including one on a fast break for a 19-point lead with 6:42 to go. Alston and Jayden Dawson scored on back-to-back possessions with Dawson's third triple of the game giving the Ramblers their largest lead of the half at 23. Loyola outscored Goshen 18-7 over the final six minutes of the first taking a 58-28 lead into halftime.
 
Heading into the second half, Alston scored Loyola's first 10 points of the half, while Trey Lewis and Sheldon Edwards pushed the lead past 40 with back-to-back three-pointers midway through.
 
With 4:37 to play, Caleb Reese forced a turnover and fed the ball down court to Ben Schwieger for a fast break taking the Ramblers to a 101-54 lead. Thirty seconds later, Will Smythe joined the action with a three for a 50-point lead. The Ramblers went on to win their sixth game of the season.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Alston (25), Dawson (14), Edwards (11), Lewis (10) all finished in double-figures.
- Alston knocked down a new season-high and tied his Division I career-high. He became the fifth Rambler to drop a 20-point performance this season.
- Lewis also recorded career-highs in points (10), rebounds (4), and assists (3).
- Jalen Quinn dished out a career-high five assists, while tying a season-high four boards.
- Loyola's bench poured in 65 points, while the team scored 54 points in the paint.
- Reese had a career-high eight points, one rebound, and two assists.
- The Ramblers scored a season-high 115 points. The last time Loyola hit the 100-point mark was against Coppin State in November 2021. It's the most points scored in a game since the 1986-87 season when the Ramblers beat Loyola Marymount, 115-93.
- The 115 points are the most points scored in the Drew Valentine era.
- Fifty-one points is the largest margin of victory since Feb. 23, 2022 vs. Evansville.
 
Up Next
The Ramblers take a break this week before heading to Tampa next Saturday. Loyola tips off at South Florida at 3 p.m. CT on Dec. 16.