Ramblers pull off late game run, move on to Elite Eight

The Associated Press

ATLANTA — Loyola-Chicago coach Porter Moser never doubted Marques Townes.

Not when Townes scored only a combined 15 points in Loyola’s first two NCAA Tournament games. Not even with Loyola’s improbable tournament run hanging in the balance Thursday night, Townes with the ball in front of the Loyola bench in the final seconds and the shot clock about to expire.

With 11th-seeded Loyola clinging to a one-point lead and only 6.3 seconds remaining, Townes nailed the decisive 3-pointer to help clinch a 69-68 win against seventhseeded Nevada in the NCAA South Region semifinal.

“He was a warrior,” Moser said.

Townes, who had 18 points, charged down the court, pumping his fist, following the shot.

“I’ll probably remember it for the rest of my life,” Townes said.

“I mean, it doesn’t really get any better than that.”

After a timeout, Nevada’s Caleb Martin answered with a 3, but this time the Wolf Pack couldn’t extend their string of second-half comebacks in the tournament.

“Got to give so much credit to Nevada, they never quit,” Moser said.

“Those guys keep coming at you, coming at you. ... I was blessed we made a couple of plays at the end, got a couple of stops.”

The win leaves the Ramblers, the biggest surprise in a region that has lost its top four seeds, one victory from a Final Four appearance.

Loyola (31-5), which has won three tournament games by a combined four points.

Not bad for a program that has not advanced this far in the past 33 years.

On a team that shares the spotlight, this was Townes’ moment.

He made each of his two 3s and led Loyola with five assists. He said he was fine after banging knees with Nevada’s Jordan Caroline at the end of the game.

“I think Marques Townes is the best player on the court tonight,” said Loyola guard Clayton Custer. “I don’t even think it was close, either. ... This is unbelievable. Feels like a dream.”

Martin led Nevada (29-8) with 21 points. Twin brother Cody Martin had 16. Jordan Carolina added 19.

“We get a stop on the 3 they shot at the buzzer and maybe we’re sitting up here with a win,” said Nevada coach Eric Musselman.

Caleb Martin bemoaned his missed defensive opportunity before Townes’ big 3.

“I should have denied the catch,” Martin said of Loyola’s pass to Townes.

“I just got lost, and it was costly.”

Loyola trailed by 12 points, at 20-8, midway through the first half but stormed back to lead, 28-24, at halftime. Loyola closed the half with a 20-4 run as Nevada did not score in the final 7:55 before the intermission.

Loyola pushed the ball in the paint on almost every possession. In fact, the Ramblers’ first 10 points came on layups against a team know for tough defense.

The relentless Ramblers showed strong poise by sticking with their game plan to attack the basket, too, even after the Wolf Pack collected five blocks in the first half. Loyola woubd up with a 46-34 advantage in points in the paint.

Conversely, the Wolf Pack couldn’t keep pace with Loyola’s inside attack. They made only 8 of 27 3-pointers against Loyola’s aggressive defense.

Four members of Loyola’s famous 1963 NCAA championship team were seated in the front row: Jerry Harkness, Les Hunter, John Egan and Rich Rochelle.

In the closing minutes of the game, Harkness, the star of the 1963 team, could be heard saying, “We need a stop. We just need a stop.”