Ramblers’ wild ride not over

ATLANTA — With Loyola clinging to a one-point lead and only 6.3 seconds remaining, Marques Townes sank a 3-pointer from in front of the Ramblers bench to continue their improbable NCAA tournament run.

Townes scored 18 points to lead Loyola to a 69-68 victory over Nevada on Thursday night in the first South Region semifinal.

“I think Marcus Townes is the best player on the court tonight,” Ramblers guard Clayton Custer said. “I don’t even think it was close. He is such a good basketball player and such a good person. I am just so happy he dominated the game tonight and led us.

“This is unbelievable. (It) feels like a dream.”

The win leaves the No. 11th-seeded Ramblers one victory from a Final Four appearance. Not bad for a program that hadn’t been in the Sweet 16 in 33 years.

Loyola (31-5) will face the Kansas State- Kentucky winner in Saturday’s regional final.

Townes charged down the court and pumped his fist as Nevada called a timeout following the crucial 3-pointer. Caleb Martin answered with a 3, but this time the Wolf Pack couldn’t extend their string of second-half comebacks in the tournament.

Caleb Martin scored 21 points for Nevada (29-8), which erased a 10-point deficit to tie the game at 59-59 on Cody Martin’s layup with 4:06 left. The Wolf Pack rallied despite Loyola shooting 75 percent in the second half.