LOYOLA LAYS EGG
Ramblers' miracle run vanishes with big lead
SAN ANTONIO — There were tears and there was anger. Raw emotion was everywhere in the losing locker room. Hugs being handed out to everyone and anyone, all the pain coming out after such a remarkable run ended painfully short. But more than anything, there was regret — regret over a blown 10-point lead, regret over the mistakes that led to the ending of a 14-game winning streak, and regret that Loyola Chicago won’t be playing for a national championship Monday night. “We were happy to be here, but we also wanted more,” point guard Clayton Custer said after No. 3 Michigan ended 11th-seeded Loyola’s memorable season, 69-57, at the Alamodome Saturday night. “We were up 10 points in the second half — we should’ve won the game. I feel bad for this team, that we have to be done, because I think we should be playing in the national championship on Monday. But we made too many mistakes in the second half.” The underdog Ramblers (32-6), the story of this tournament with their two last-second upsets on the opening weekend and their famous basketball-crazed Nun, Sister Jean, came to San Antonio to cut down the nets, not merely to compete. They expected to be the first double-digit seed to reach Monday night, to pull off their fifth straight upset of the month. Instead, they will have to wonder what might have been the rest of their lives, after getting outscored 32-12 over the final 11:25, after uncharacteristically allowing 11 offensive rebounds that led to 19 secondchance points, after committing 17 turnovers that resulted in 19 Michigan (33-7) points. “We just couldn’t stop the bleeding,” junior guard Marques Townes of Edison, N.J., said. “During this tournament, we converted on a lot of big-time baskets. It just wasn’t falling our way this game.”
Loyola, of course, was proud of how far it had come, from not reaching the NCAA Tournament since 1985 to getting to the Final Four. The 32 wins was a program record. The Ramblers put the school on the proverbial map, and only some mistakes and a heroic performance from Michigan 6-foot-11 forward Moe Wagner (24 points, 15 rebounds, three steals) denied them from advancing. But that’s what will haunt them.
They led by seven points at halftime, and had previously been undefeated when that was the case this season. They twice held a 10-point advantage in the second half. They were up eight with 11:25 to go. Seemingly in control. Until they weren’t. Until Wagner started hitting 3-pointers, the Wolverines’ eighthranked defense tightened, putting a vice grip on Loyola, and a head-spinning 23-6 run turned a 10-point lead into a sevenpoint deficit with 4:59 remaining.
Soon, there would be red eyes everywhere. Coach Porter Moser emptied his bench in the final seconds, giving his entire roster the opportunity to touch the Final Four court.
“I think that we inspired a city, I think that we inspired a lot of people across the country. People can be proud to say they went to Loyola,” said Custer, who scored 15 points. “The word Loyola has a whole new meaning now. I”m proud of that.”
“They changed the perception of a program,” Moser said.
As they left the floor, Custer and senior guard Ben Richardson had their arms around each other, the two childhood friends and high school teammates seeking comfort amidst the anguish. Soon, all the Ramblers would be consoling one another. The run was over. There was no magic left. Seniors Richardson, Donte Ingram and Aundre Jackson move on after winning 90 games. Afterwards, every player said the one thing they will remember the most about this year won’t be the fame, it won’t be the last-second shots, it won’t be the Final Four.
It will be the bond they developed. The unselfishness they played with. The memories they shared in building Loyola into such a formidable force over the years.
“I’ve never been more proud to be on a team,” Custer said. “I’m just super-sad for the seniors that it has to be over, and they’ll forever have a special place in my heart.”