NUN BETTER!
Loyola-Chi., Sister Jean, top Vols to make Sweet 16
DALLAS — Different day. Different hero.
Loyola did it again with a 63-62 NCAA tournament thriller against No. 3 seed Tennessee to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1985 — the last time the Ramblers were in the tournament.
On Saturday night, it was guard Clayton Custer who delivered a gamewinning 15-foot jumper with 3.6 seconds left on the clock. In the first round two nights before, it was senior Donte Ingram who nailed a 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds remaining against No. 6 seed Miami to make Loyola a tournament sweetheart.
If Thursday’s victory goes down in Loyola history as “The Shot,” this one will be known forever as “The Bounce.”
Custer’s shot from the right side near the free-throw line ricocheted h i g h off the rim to the top of the backboard before rattling through the basket — stunning the Volunteers and adding to what has been a wild NCAA tournament littered with defeated higher seeds.
“The only thing I can say is glory to God for that one,” Custer said. “That’s all the hard work that I put in to get in a situation like this, all those hours, those (mornings) waking up early and working out. For all that hard work to come down to that lucky bounce is worth it. The basketball gods helped that one go in.”
Luck, religion or destiny. Something seems to be working in Loyola’s favor.
The Ramblers celebrated another upset in front of boisterous fans at American Airlines Center. The players rushed to hug Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the team’s 98-year-old chaplain, who has become the tournament’s Cinderella nun. Like she did Thursday, she gave them thumbs-up from her wheelchair and congratulated them.
In the locker room, Loyola players FaceTimed with hometown friends and family. They interrupted interviews to embrace each other.
The Ramblers’ victory advances them to a Sweet 16 matchup in Atlanta against either No. 7-seeded Nevada or No. 2-seeded Cincinnati.
“It just means the world to us to bring that pride back to this program,” senior guard Ben Richardson said.
Even without starting 6-foot-11 forward Kyle Alexander, the Volunteers looked overpowering in the opening minutes. Before Loyola could blink, muscular 6-5 forward Admiral Schofield had scored 11 points in the first 4:30.
Schofield knocked in three 3-pointers and followed up a monstrous dunk by roaring at the Loyola fan section. But he picked up his second foul shortly after and scored only once more — on a 3-pointer with less than four minutes remaining.
“They punched us in the mouth at the beginning of the game,” said Custer, who finished with 10 points and three assists. “People thought we would roll over and they would handle us and win by 10 or 15.”
Senior forward Aundre Jackson, playing near his hometown of Fort Worth, finished with a game-high 16 points for the Retrievers.