CHICAGO, Ill. (February 4, 2023)
 
In Short…
Loyola University Chicago (8-14, 2-8 A-10) held George Mason to a season-low 32% shooting Saturday afternoon to pick up its second Atlantic 10 win of the year with a 69-61 victory inside Gentile Arena.
 
Three Ramblers, Braden Norris, Philip Alston and Bryce Golden, scored 13 points each, while Ben Schwieger finished with eight points and seven rebounds. The defensive effort was balanced by a calm offensive attack, as the Ramblers committed a season-low six turnovers in the contest.
 
How It Happened
Bryce Golden opened the scoring with the first four Loyola points before Braden Norris got in the action with a 3-pointer to give the Ramblers a 7-3 lead at the first media timeout. The Ramblers' defense was in full force early on, as the Patriots opened the game just 3-for-11 from the field as the Loyola lead grew to 14-7 with 11:49 to play following Ben Schwieger's 3-pointer.
 
Loyola maintained the defensive pressure, holding George Mason scoreless over a two-minute stretch of action as the Rambler lead would grow to 10 at 21-11 with 7:25 to play in the opening half.
 
The Patriots would pull within five but back-to-back buckets by Marquise Kennedy and Jeameril Wilson pushed the lead back to nine as George Mason found themselves in another 2+ minute scoring drought.
 
George Mason would close the gap down the stretch, using a quick 7-0 run to get within four, but Philip Alston's dunk with 16 seconds left pushed the Loyola advantage to 34-29 at the halftime break. Six different Ramblers scored over the first 20 minutes, led by nine points from Golden and eight from Norris. Loyola committed just two turnovers in the first half, the fewest by the Ramblers in a half this season.
 
The Patriots evened the score at 38-all early in the second half after outscoring the Ramblers by a 9-4 margin. George Mason took advantage at the free throw line, connecting on five free throws over the first four and a half minutes.
 
Field goals were hard to come by for both teams, as Loyola and George Mason each had four field goals over the first nine minutes of play, allowing the Ramblers to maintain a slim 45-44 lead with 10:55 remaining.
 
A 7-2 Loyola surge brought the Ramblers back in front by five at 52-47 with 7:39 to play. Schwieger scored five of the seven points, including a triple that brought the crowd to its feet inside Gentile Arena.
 
Loyola's defense continued to shine, as George Mason went over eight minutes without a field goal. The defensive pressure allowed the Ramblers to build a seven-point lead following Norris' free throws with 3:59 to play.
 
Every point scored by the Ramblers was matched by free throws from the Patriots, with George Mason scoring 20 of its 32 second-half points at the free throw line. It would be the Ramblers who would salt the game away from the free throw line, however, scoring their final six points from the stripe to close out the victory
 
Inside The Box Score

•  Bryce Golden has now scored in double figures in each of the last two games. He scored a season-high 15 points at Dayton before adding 13 against George Mason Saturday.
• Loyola had just six turnovers against George Mason, a season low, and scored 11 points off its opponents' turnovers in the first half.
• With eight points in the game, Jeameril Wilson is two points away from becoming the third Rambler player this season to reach 1,000 career points. 
• George Mason hung around in the second half thanks to free throws. Of the 32 points the Patriots scored in the second half, 20 of them came at the line.

 
Up Next
Loyola remains at home on Wednesday, Feb. 8, as the Ramblers welcome Saint Joseph's to town. Tip-off on NBC Sports Chicago is set for 8 p.m.
 
#Loyola University Chicago: Preparing people to lead extraordinary lives#