Strong second half propels Ramblers
Clayton Custer had 18 points, five assists and four steals, and visiting Loyola pulled away from Valparaiso in the second half for a 70- 54 victory Sunday.
Aundre Jackson scored 12 points, Donte Ingram 11 and Cameron Krutwig 10. Ingram and Krutwig each had seven rebounds. Loyola ( 16- 4, 6- 2 Missouri Valley) protected the ballwith 16 assists on 27 made shots and committed just eight turnovers.
“I’m proud of our guys to come into a tough place to play and get a win,’’ Loyola coach Porter Moser said. ‘‘ Clayton was phenomenal today. We turned the ball over too many times against Southern Illinois and today had 16 assists and only eight turnovers.”
Valpo took the lead at 32- 31 with a 9- 4 run after being down four at halftime, but Marques Townes had a jumper, Custer followed with a three- pointer and Jackson made a jumper and a three to put the Ramblers on their way. Custer buried back- to- back threes and added a layup for a 49- 36 lead.
Bakari Evelyn made a layup and a pair of free throws to reduce the deficit to 52- 45, but the Crusaders couldn’t get closer. Evelyn scored 19 points and Derrik Smits and Tevonn Walker 14 each to lead the Crusaders ( 11- 10, 2- 6), who shot just 3- for- 14 from three- point range.
Michigan 62, Rutgers 47
Moe Wagner scored 16 points and Duncan Robinson 12 to lift the No. 23Wolverines.
It was the fourth game in nine days for Michigan, which rebounded nicely from a 20- point loss at Nebraska on Thursday.
“OnMonday, our kids need a day off,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “That’s going to be huge for us. Not allowed in the gym, don’t touch a ball. We just need to do that.”
The Wolverines ( 17- 5, 6- 3 Big Ten) took the lead for good with a 13- 0 run in the first half. Both teams shot well under 50 percent from the field.
Corey Sanders scored 12 points forRutgers ( 12- 9, 2- 6), and Deshawn Freeman added 11 points and 11 rebounds. Freeman also had the only assist of the game for Rutgers, which finished with 13 turnovers.
Zavier Simpson had 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists for Michigan, and Charles Matthews added 10 points.
SIU 64, Northern Iowa 53
Sean Lloyd Jr. scored 15 points, and Kavion Pippen had 11 points and 11 rebounds to lead the host Salukis ( 12- 9, 4- 4 Missouri Valley). Wyatt Lohaus led the Panthers ( 1010, 2- 6) with 15 points.
Injury news
Clemson forward Donte Grantham will miss the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The 6- 8 senior was second on the team with 14.2 points per game.