RICHMOND – Loyola Chicago dropped 22 points in the overtime period against Richmond with 12 points from Sheldon Edwards Jr. in the five-minute stretch to power an 87-80 win over the Spiders.
 
Edwards Jr. finished with 21 points, while Jayden Dawson led all-scorers with a season-best 24 points. The duo combined for 13 made three-pointers.
 
Loyola improves to 15-9 overall and 6-5 in A-10.
 
"Players make plays," said head coach Drew Valentine. "Hats off to our guys for fighting through adversity. Jayden, Des, and Sheldon all made big plays at the end and in overtime that really helped us find the momentum again that we had in the first half to win. That was not easy. It was nice to finally get an overtime win here after having a few on the road this season."
 
How It Happened
It was a game of runs in the first half Tuesday night with the Ramblers opening on a 10-2 tear. Miles Rubin had four quick points, while Dawson's three forced a timeout by the 17:53 mark. Des Watson put Loyola up double-digits with a jumper less than a minute later, and Loyola pushed its lead to 15 on another Dawson triple with 11:18 to play.
 
The Spiders went on their first run with 10 unanswered points, cutting the Rambler lead to five with eight minutes on the clock, but the next seven points went on the board for Loyola. Francis Nwaokorie hit a corner three, while Jalen Quinn put away a deep two to push the lead back to double-figures. Richmond had the final say, using an 8-0 run to end the half, but Loyola led at the break, 34-31.
 
Richmond didn't give up in the second half, cutting the lead to four with six straight points by the 12:42 mark. Mike Walz hit a jumper in the paint to cap the effort. Quinn followed up with six of Loyola's next eight points to regain a 12-point edge, but the Spiders came alive on a 16-3 run, holding the Ramblers scoreless over a five-minute stretch.
 
Walz gave the Spiders a 52-51 lead at the line with 5:09 in regulation before Watson stepped up for the Ramblers. He hit three straight three-pointers to single-handedly keep Loyola in the game. He captured a three-point lead with 3:22 to go, while in the final minute Dawson stepped back for a deep three to tie the game 65-all and force overtime.
 
The Ramblers fell two-points shy of an overtime record, erupting for 20 points in the five-minute stretch. Watson sparked the offense immediately with a put-back layup off a missed free throw. Edwards Jr. kept the Ramblers ahead with threes at 4:02, 3:16, 2:37, and 1:46. Dawson sealed the win at the line with Loyola's final six points of the game, and the Ramblers won, 87-80.
 
Inside the Box Score
- Dawson led all-scorers with 24 points. It marked a season-high and third 20-point performance this season. He finished 6-14 FG, 6-13 3PT, 6-6 FT.
- Edwards Jr. added 21 points on 7-16 from three-point range. It's his fourth 20-point outing of the year.
- His seven three-pointers ties sixth on the program's single-game records list. It bumps his single-season total up to 70, which is tied seventh on the single-season charts.
- Watson scored 19 points on 7-14 FG with three from deep. Watson had just four points with 4:50 remaining in the second half.
- The Ramblers finished the game shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from three-point range.
- Their 18 made threes are the most in an A-10 game since joining the league and is the second most drained in a single-game in program history.
- Rubin grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, while Kymany Houinsou dished out a game-high six assists. Rubin also had two blocks.
 
Up Next
Loyola returns to Gentile for Friday night prime-time hoops vs. Saint Louis. Tip-off is 6 p.m. CT.