CHICAGO – The Ramblers led the Hawks by 17 in the first half, but Saturday's matinee came down to the wire. Jayden Dawson drew a foul on a three-point attempt and sank all three free throws to lead Loyola Chicago past Saint Joseph's, 58-55.
 
The Hawks shot just 29.1 percent from the field, which is the best field goal percentage defense by the Ramblers since joining the Atlantic 10 against a conference foe.
 
With the win, Loyola improves to 13-8 overall and 4-4 in A-10 play.
 
"We came out a punched Saint Joseph's in the mouth, so you have to give them credit with how they responded in the second half," said head coach Drew Valentine. "I am extremely proud of our guys with how they approached our game preparation and mentality. Like you saw tonight, if we can execute how we want on both sides of the ball, it looks pretty good. Their mentality the last two weeks has been great, and I am proud of them."
 
How It Happened
Loyola got off to a quick 8-2 run in a game with Dawson, Sheldon Edwards Jr., and Miles Rubin contributing to the offense. By the 11:45 media timeout, the Ramblers led 14-10, but both teams were stuck in scoreless droughts that stretched over four minutes. Edwards Jr. finally snapped Loyola's stretch at the 9:56 mark with a three.
 
The Ramblers built on their lead, pulling ahead on a 12-2 run. Xzayvier Brown found a second-chance tip-in at the 7:45 mark, but it was the only bucket within an 11-minute period for the Hawks. Four different Ramblers scored before the next SJU basket, including a three from Francis Nwaokorie. Jalen Quinn scored the final five Loyola points of the half, helping the Ramblers to a 34-17 edge at the break.
 
Saint Joseph's opened the second with eight unanswered points, six of which came at the foul line to get the lead back in single-digits. Watson connected from deep to snap the run, while Edwards Jr. was fed on a fast break off a steal for a wide-open dunk. Both buckets helped push the Loyola lead back to 12.

The Hawks chipped away, cutting the lead to a one-possession game four times by the five-minute mark. Edwards Jr. converted a big and-one opportunity for a six-point lead with 3:59 to play, but the Ramblers couldn't shake the Hawks who scored the next eight points. Erik Reynolds II tied the game with a drive inside, while Rasheer Fleming snagged a lead at 1:36 from the foul line, 55-53. Dawson answered with a jumper to tie it and drew a foul on a three-point attempt with two seconds to play. He drained all three at the line for the win, 58-55.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Edwards Jr. led Loyola with 12 points on 5-of-9 from the field. He added six boards, three assists, and a steal.
- Dawson and Watson added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Dawson crashed the glass for five rebounds. He tallied two steals, while Watson had three rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
- Rubin recorded six points, two rebounds, and three blocks before fouling out.
- The Ramblers shot 44.3 percent from the field, after finishing the first half at 56 percent.
- The Hawks shot 29.1 percent. It's the lowest field goal percentage the Ramblers have allowed from an A-10 opponent since joining the league.
 
Up Next
The Ramblers return to Gentile Feb. 4. Tip-off between Loyola and St. Bonaventure is set for 8 p.m. CT.