No. 18 Saint Louis Rolls Past Loyola 86-59
No. 18 Saint Louis extended its winning streak to 18 games Friday night, pulling away in the second half for an 86-59 road victory over Loyola Chicago.
Trey Green and Ishan Sharma led the Billikens with 14 points apiece, while Quentin Jones contributed 12 points and six rebounds. Amari McCottry added 11 points and seven boards for Saint Louis (24-1, 12-0 Atlantic 10).
Justin Moore paced Loyola (6-20, 2-11) with 12 points, and Daniil Glazkov finished with 11 points and six rebounds. The loss marked the Ramblers’ 11th in their past 12 games.
Saint Louis seized control after halftime, outscoring Loyola 47-30 over the final 20 minutes.
The Billikens were efficient from long range, shooting 43.8% from 3-point territory (14 of 32), while Loyola struggled at 26.3% (10 of 38). Saint Louis’ bench provided a significant lift, outscoring the Ramblers’ reserves 38-21. The visitors also dominated inside, holding a 38-14 advantage in points in the paint.
Loyola opened the game with a 3-pointer from Moore, but then misfired on its next 12 attempts from beyond the arc. After breaking the drought, the Ramblers found a rhythm and went on a 15-7 run. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Glazkov, along with long-range shots from Deywilk Tavarez, Kayde Dotson, and Moore, trimmed the deficit to 31-29 late in the first half.
Saint Louis capitalized on four consecutive Loyola turnovers to close the half on an 8-0 run. run. Kellen Thames converted a layup off a half-court pass from Jones, and Green and Jones followed with 3-pointers to give the Billikens a 39-29 halftime lead.
Early in the second half, Xavier Amos made two free throws to cut the margin to 43-36, but Loyola would get no closer.
Sharma knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to stretch the lead to 60-42 with 13:16 remaining. The Billikens later pushed the advantage to 71-48 on Thames’s offensive rebound and finger-roll putback during an 8-0 surge.
Saint Louis controlled the glass for second opportunities, finishing with 10 second-chance points compared to Loyola’s two.
Overall, the Billikens shot 50.8% from the field (33 of 65), while the Ramblers converted 33.9% (20 of 59).
