Ramblers suffer costly home defeat
Loyola’s chances of landing an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament took a significant hit when the Ramblers fell 83-76 to Drake on Saturday at Gentile Arena.
According to bracketology pundits, the Ramblers’ only path to the Big Dance seemingly lies through winning the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Tucker DeVries matched his season high with 24 points as the Bulldogs (19-9, 10-5 MVC) handed Loyola (20-6, 11-4) a rare home loss.
Lucas Williamson tied a career high with 27 points and had six rebounds for the Ramblers. Aher Uguak added 11 points. Braden Norris had 10 points and six assists.
Garrett Sturtz had 15 points, seven rebounds and five steals for Drake, which swept the season series after beating the Ramblers 77-68 on Jan. 30 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Minnesota 77, Northwestern 60
Luke Loewe burned the Wildcats (12-13, 5-11 Big Ten) with 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting in an easy victory by the host Gophers (13-12, 4-12).
Northwestern, which has lost three in a row, opened the second half with a 13-4 surge to pull to 47-40 but didn’t get closer. Pete Nance scored 18 points and Boo Buie 16 for the Wildcats, who were held to 37.3% from the floor (22-for-59) and made just nine of their 18 free throws.
Jamison Battle contributed 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting and 14 rebounds to Minnesota’s cause. Loewe sank six three-pointers and had seven assists. The Gophers finished with 22 assists and shot 56% (29-for-52).
Seton Hall 66, DePaul 64
Kadary Richmond made a layup with 28 seconds left, capping a back-and-forth final minute as the host Pirates (16-9, 7-8 Big East) edged the Blue Demons (12-14, 3-13).
On the final possession for DePaul, Javon Freeman-Liberty missed a three-pointer to secure the victory for Seton Hall.
Freeman-Liberty had 22 points and six rebounds for the Blue Demons, whose losing streak stretched to four games. Brandon Johnson added 15 points and eight rebounds. Courvoisier McCauley had 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Jared Rhoden tallied 18 points and 18 rebounds to lead Seton Hall. Alexis Yetna had 12 points. Kadary Richmond added 11 points and seven rebounds. Ike Obiagu had three blocked shots.
UIC 96, Robert Morris 88 (OT)
Damaria Franklin notched a career-high 28 points as the Flames (11-15, 7-10 Horizon League) topped the host Colonials (7-21, 5-14) in overtime. Zion Griffin chipped in with a double-double, 27 points and 10 rebounds, as UIC shot 50.7% (34-for-57) in posting its highest point total of the season.
Wake Forest 79, Notre Dame 74
Alondes Williams scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half as the host Demon Deacons (21-7, 11-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) tripped the Fighting Irish (19-8, 12-4). He tallied 13 in the last 10 minutes, including a layup at the 4:20 mark that put Wake Forest up for good 67-66. Blake Wesley had six threes and 24 points to pace Notre Dame
Iowa 75, Ohio State 62
Keegan Murray scored 24 points on 10-for17 shooting and the visiting Hawkeyes (18-8, 8-7 Big Ten) used a 17-4 surge early in the second half to upset the No. 18 Buckeyes (16-7, 9-5).