DAYTON

LOYCHI

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Loyola Chicago defeats No. 21 Dayton 77-72 behind Watson's 24 points

AP
Mar 02, 2024

CHICAGO (AP) Des Watson scored 24 points and Braden Norris made two crucial 3-pointers down the stretch, finishing with 19 points and 11 assists as Loyola Chicago defeated No. 21 Dayton 77-72 on Friday night.

Philip Alston hit a 3 to give the Ramblers a 69-65 lead with 3:03 left, but Koby Brea answered with one of his own for Dayton. With 2:09 remaining, Norris drained a 3 to put Loyola Chicago up 72-68. DaRon Holmes II cut it to 72-70 with two free throws, but Norris iced the game with another 3 from the corner with 17 seconds to go.

“I'm not trying to undersell what happened today. And I'm also not trying to undersell the improvement our team has made. But our program has been a national program since I've been here,” Loyola Chicago coach Drew Valentine said. “These are the kind of wins we expect to happen.”

Alston scored 13 points and Miles Rubin blocked four shots for the Ramblers (21-8, 13-3 Atlantic 10), who have won eight of nine.

Holmes had 20 points and nine rebounds for Dayton (22-6, 12-4), which has dropped two of three. Enoch Cheeks added 16 points.

The Ramblers forced the Flyers into 22 turnovers.

“I thought our guys battled. It was a really highly contested game. Give them credit, they made some plays," Dayton coach Anthony Grant said. “Defensively, we knew they would be disruptive. They've got really good players, very well-coached team, and it was a great environment today. Unfortunately, we didn’t come out with a win.”

Starting guard Javon Bennett was not available in the second half for Dayton after injuring his hand.

The teams entered tied for second place in the Atlantic 10 behind Richmond, which is 13-2 in league play and hosts VCU on Saturday.

Loyola Chicago rebounded after a 79-64 loss at St. Bonaventure on Tuesday.

“For us to respond, especially after the way we played on Tuesday - quite frankly we got punked out," Valentine said. “And for us to respond this physically as we won this game was very impressive for a coach to see because I think that's when you know our team has bought into what you're coaching and you're preaching.”

Trailing by seven with under six minutes left, Dayton quickly erased the deficit. Cheeks converted a three-point play and Holmes followed with a pair of free throws to tie it at 63.

Brea made a 3 and Nate Santos followed with a four-point play to give the Flyers a 52-47 lead with 13:47 remaining. But the Ramblers went on a run of their own later in the second half. Watson sank two free throws and Norris found Tom Welch for an alley-oop dunk that sent the Gentile Center crowd to its feet. Watson’s layup extended the lead to 59-54 with 7:55 left.

The Flyers led 35-32 at halftime. Holmes scored eight of the first 10 points for Dayton and had a team-high 10 points at the break.

Watson kept the Ramblers in the game with 16 points in the first half. He was 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Santos made a 3-pointer in front of the Loyola Chicago bench with 15 seconds left in the half to get the lead up to 35-29, but Norris cut it to three with three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt.

BIG PICTURE

Dayton: After losing three of six, the Flyers are just a half-game ahead of VCU for third place in the Atlantic 10.

Loyola Chicago: It is March, they have 104-year-old Sister Jean on their side - can the Ramblers make another run?

UP NEXT

Dayton: Plays at Saint Louis on Tuesday night before hosting its regular-season finale against VCU.

Loyola Chicago: Plays at Davidson on Wednesday night before hosting its regular-season finale against La Salle.

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1st Half
DAYT
Flyers
35
LCHI
Ramblers
32

Time		Play	Score
20:00		DaRon Holmes II vs. Miles Rubin (Javon Bennett gains possession)
19:42		Enoch Cheeks turnover (bad pass) (Braden Norris steals)
19:22		Jayden Dawson misses three point jump shot
19:20		DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
18:53		Nate Santos turnover (bad pass) (Des Watson steals)
18:48		Des Watson offensive foul
18:48		Des Watson turnover (offensive foul)
18:30		Enoch Cheeks misses two point layup
18:28		Miles Rubin defensive rebound
18:13		Braden Norris misses three point jump shot
18:11		Javon Bennett defensive rebound
18:04		Jayden Dawson personal foul
17:53		Nate Santos misses three point jump shot
17:51		Javon Bennett offensive rebound
17:38		DaRon Holmes II misses two point layup
17:36		Philip Alston defensive rebound
17:20	+3	Philip Alston makes three point jump shot (Braden Norris assists)	0-3
16:50		Philip Alston blocks DaRon Holmes II's two point layup
16:48		DaRon Holmes II offensive rebound
16:37	+2	DaRon Holmes II makes two point jump shot	2-3
16:25		Des Watson misses two point jump shot
16:23		Nate Santos defensive rebound
16:12	+2	Enoch Cheeks makes two point layup	4-3
15:49		Sheldon Edwards misses three point jump shot
15:47		DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
15:42	+2	DaRon Holmes II makes two point layup	6-3
15:42		Miles Rubin shooting foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
15:42		TV timeout
15:42		DaRon Holmes II misses regular free throw 1 of 1
15:42		Sheldon Edwards defensive rebound
15:20		Philip Alston turnover (lost ball) (DaRon Holmes II steals)
15:12		Dame Adelekun shooting foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
15:12	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 1 of 2	7-3
15:12		DaRon Holmes II misses regular free throw 2 of 2
15:12		Dame Adelekun defensive rebound
14:51	+2	Dame Adelekun makes two point layup	7-5
14:37	+3	DaRon Holmes II makes three point jump shot (Petras Padegimas assists)	10-5
14:11	+2	Jayden Dawson makes two point layup	10-7
13:53		Javon Bennett misses two point layup
13:51		Jayden Dawson defensive rebound
13:45		Jayden Dawson turnover (lost ball) (Javon Bennett steals)
13:28		Patrick Mwamba personal foul
13:06		Flyers turnover (shot clock violation)
12:51		Jalen Quinn misses three point jump shot
12:49		Koby Brea defensive rebound
12:28	+2	Nate Santos makes two point layup	12-7
12:03	+2	Patrick Mwamba makes two point jump shot (Jalen Quinn assists)	12-9
11:50		Miles Rubin blocks Nate Santos's two point jump shot
11:48		Patrick Mwamba defensive rebound
11:45		Enoch Cheeks blocks Jalen Quinn's two point layup
11:43		Kobe Elvis defensive rebound
11:36		Enoch Cheeks misses three point jump shot
11:34		Patrick Mwamba defensive rebound
11:27		Braden Norris misses two point layup
11:25		Isaac Jack defensive rebound
11:12		TV timeout
11:04		Koby Brea misses three point jump shot
11:02		Philip Alston defensive rebound
10:38		Des Watson misses three point jump shot
10:36		Koby Brea defensive rebound
10:25		Kobe Elvis turnover (lost ball) (Miles Rubin steals)
10:14		Philip Alston misses two point layup
10:12		DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
10:11		Miles Rubin personal foul
9:57		Kobe Elvis turnover (bad pass) (Greg Dolan steals)
9:48		Philip Alston misses three point jump shot
9:46		Javon Bennett defensive rebound
9:35		Enoch Cheeks turnover (bad pass) (Greg Dolan steals)
9:24	+2	Des Watson makes two point jump shot (Greg Dolan assists)	12-11
9:09		Dame Adelekun personal foul (Javon Bennett draws the foul)
9:09	+1	Javon Bennett makes regular free throw 1 of 2	13-11
9:09	+1	Javon Bennett makes regular free throw 2 of 2	14-11
8:57	+3	Des Watson makes three point jump shot (Braden Norris assists)	14-14
8:26	+3	Enoch Cheeks makes three point jump shot (DaRon Holmes II assists)	17-14
8:19		Javon Bennett personal foul
8:16		Tom Welch turnover (bad pass) (Javon Bennett steals)
8:08	+2	Javon Bennett makes two point layup	19-14
7:58	+2	Des Watson makes two point layup (Tom Welch assists)	19-16
7:30		Javon Bennett misses two point layup
7:28		Braden Norris defensive rebound
7:17		Jayden Dawson misses three point jump shot
7:15		Javon Bennett defensive rebound
7:12		Philip Alston personal foul (Enoch Cheeks draws the foul)
7:12		TV timeout
7:12	+1	Enoch Cheeks makes regular free throw 1 of 2	20-16
7:12	+1	Enoch Cheeks makes regular free throw 2 of 2	21-16
6:59		Nate Santos shooting foul (Philip Alston draws the foul)
6:59	+1	Philip Alston makes regular free throw 1 of 2	21-17
6:59	+1	Philip Alston makes regular free throw 2 of 2	21-18
6:44	+2	Kobe Elvis makes two point jump shot	23-18
6:32		Tom Welch turnover (lost ball) (Kobe Elvis steals)
6:26		Kobe Elvis turnover (bad pass) (Patrick Mwamba steals)
6:14	+3	Des Watson makes three point jump shot (Tom Welch assists)	23-21
5:43		Isaac Jack turnover (bad pass) (Des Watson steals)
5:39		Isaac Jack blocks Jayden Dawson's two point layup
5:39		Flyers defensive rebound
5:20	+3	Javon Bennett makes three point jump shot (Kobe Elvis assists)	26-21
5:05	+3	Des Watson makes three point jump shot (Braden Norris assists)	26-24
4:37	+2	Isaac Jack makes two point layup (Nate Santos assists)	28-24
4:25		Jalen Quinn misses two point layup
4:23		Miles Rubin offensive rebound
4:22		Isaac Jack shooting foul (Jalen Quinn draws the foul)
4:22	+1	Jalen Quinn makes regular free throw 1 of 2	28-25
4:22	+1	Jalen Quinn makes regular free throw 2 of 2	28-26
4:06	+2	Nate Santos makes two point layup (Kobe Elvis assists)	30-26
3:56		DaRon Holmes II blocks Jalen Quinn's two point layup
3:54		DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
3:37		Nate Santos misses three point jump shot
3:35		Des Watson defensive rebound
3:26		Greg Dolan misses three point jump shot
3:24		Kobe Elvis defensive rebound
3:10		DaRon Holmes II misses two point jump shot
3:09		Ramblers defensive rebound
3:08		TV timeout
2:51		Jalen Quinn turnover (lost ball) (Javon Bennett steals)
2:37		Kobe Elvis misses three point jump shot
2:35		Braden Norris defensive rebound
2:28	+3	Des Watson makes three point jump shot (Braden Norris assists)	30-29
2:09		Javon Bennett turnover (bad pass) (Jalen Quinn steals)
1:53		Dame Adelekun misses two point layup
1:51		DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
1:36		Philip Alston blocks Enoch Cheeks's two point layup
1:36		Philip Alston defensive rebound
1:34		Jump ball. (Ramblers gains possession)
1:22		Sheldon Edwards misses three point jump shot
1:21		Ramblers offensive rebound
1:17		Braden Norris misses three point jump shot
1:15		DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
1:00	+2	DaRon Holmes II makes two point dunk	32-29
0:52		Des Watson misses two point jump shot
0:50		Flyers defensive rebound
0:50		Flyers 30 second timeout
0:27		DaRon Holmes II turnover (lost ball) (Patrick Mwamba steals)
0:25		DaRon Holmes II blocks Patrick Mwamba's two point layup
0:20		Tom Welch offensive rebound
0:19		Koby Brea blocks Tom Welch's two point layup
0:15		Kobe Elvis defensive rebound
0:12	+3	Nate Santos makes three point jump shot (Koby Brea assists)	35-29
0:12		TV timeout
0:08		Braden Norris misses three point jump shot
0:06		Philip Alston offensive rebound
0:04		Kobe Elvis personal foul
0:02		Javon Bennett shooting foul (Braden Norris draws the foul)
0:02	+1	Braden Norris makes regular free throw 1 of 3	35-30
0:02	+1	Braden Norris makes regular free throw 2 of 3	35-31
0:02	+1	Braden Norris makes regular free throw 3 of 3	35-32
0:01		Kobe Elvis turnover (traveling)
0:01		Jayden Dawson misses three point jump shot
0:00		End of period

2nd Half
DAYT
Flyers
37
LCHI
Ramblers
45

Time		Play	Score
19:45		Miles Rubin personal foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
19:35		DaRon Holmes II misses two point jump shot
19:33		Philip Alston defensive rebound
19:14		Jayden Dawson misses three point jump shot
19:12		Koby Brea defensive rebound
18:53		Dame Adelekun blocks DaRon Holmes II's two point layup
18:51		Des Watson defensive rebound
18:45	+2	Des Watson makes two point layup	35-34
18:32		Koby Brea misses three point jump shot
18:30		Braden Norris defensive rebound
18:18		DaRon Holmes II personal foul (Dame Adelekun draws the foul)
18:04		DaRon Holmes II shooting foul (Dame Adelekun draws the foul)
18:04		Dame Adelekun misses regular free throw 1 of 2
18:04	+1	Dame Adelekun makes regular free throw 2 of 2	35-35
17:45		DaRon Holmes II turnover (bad pass) (Jayden Dawson steals)
17:41	+2	Jayden Dawson makes two point layup	35-37
17:24		Philip Alston shooting foul (Enoch Cheeks draws the foul)
17:24	+1	Enoch Cheeks makes regular free throw 1 of 2	36-37
17:24	+1	Enoch Cheeks makes regular free throw 2 of 2	37-37
17:03		Braden Norris turnover (lost ball) (Nate Santos steals)
16:49	+2	Kobe Elvis makes two point layup	39-37
16:38		Nate Santos personal foul
16:33		Dame Adelekun turnover (bad pass) (Enoch Cheeks steals)
16:29	+2	Enoch Cheeks makes two point dunk	41-37
16:10	+2	Jayden Dawson makes two point jump shot (Braden Norris assists)	41-39
16:00		Dame Adelekun shooting foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
16:00		TV timeout
16:00	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 1 of 2	42-39
16:00	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 2 of 2	43-39
15:44		Jump ball. Braden Norris vs. Kobe Elvis (Ramblers gains possession)
15:34		Dame Adelekun misses two point layup
15:32		Philip Alston offensive rebound
15:28	+2	Philip Alston makes two point layup	43-41
15:20		Kobe Elvis turnover (bad pass) (Braden Norris steals)
15:11	+3	Braden Norris makes three point jump shot (Jayden Dawson assists)	43-44
14:45	+2	Kobe Elvis makes two point layup	45-44
14:30	+3	Jayden Dawson makes three point jump shot (Dame Adelekun assists)	45-47
14:07	+3	Koby Brea makes three point jump shot	48-47
13:55		DaRon Holmes II blocks Dame Adelekun's two point layup
13:53		DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
13:42	+3	Nate Santos makes three point jump shot (Kobe Elvis assists)	51-47
13:42		Philip Alston shooting foul (Nate Santos draws the foul)
13:42	+1	Nate Santos makes regular free throw 1 of 1	52-47
13:27		Des Watson misses two point jump shot
13:25		Kobe Elvis defensive rebound
13:08		Kobe Elvis offensive foul (Braden Norris draws the foul)
13:08		Kobe Elvis turnover (offensive foul)
12:51		Jayden Dawson misses three point jump shot
12:49		Nate Santos defensive rebound
12:43		Nate Santos turnover (bad pass)
12:43		Nate Santos personal foul
12:31		Tom Welch turnover (bad pass)
12:15		Isaac Jack turnover (lost ball)
11:58		Jayden Dawson misses three point jump shot
11:56		Isaac Jack defensive rebound
11:42		Greg Dolan personal foul (Isaac Jack draws the foul)
11:42		TV timeout
11:40		DaRon Holmes II turnover (lost ball) (Braden Norris steals)
11:26	+3	Braden Norris makes three point jump shot (Des Watson assists)	52-50
11:04		Kobe Elvis misses three point jump shot
11:02		Des Watson defensive rebound
10:43		Isaac Jack personal foul (Philip Alston draws the foul)
10:43		Philip Alston misses regular free throw 1 of 2
10:43	+1	Philip Alston makes regular free throw 2 of 2	52-51
10:24		Kobe Elvis misses two point jump shot
10:22		Dame Adelekun defensive rebound
10:16	+2	Jalen Quinn makes two point layup (Braden Norris assists)	52-53
9:58		Dame Adelekun shooting foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
9:47		Miles Rubin shooting foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
9:47	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 1 of 2	53-53
9:47	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 2 of 2	54-53
9:21		Nate Santos personal foul (Des Watson draws the foul)
9:21	+1	Des Watson makes regular free throw 1 of 2	54-54
9:21	+1	Des Watson makes regular free throw 2 of 2	54-55
9:08		Kobe Elvis turnover (bad pass) (Patrick Mwamba steals)
9:02		Des Watson turnover (out of bounds)
8:50		DaRon Holmes II offensive foul (Tom Welch draws the foul)
8:50		DaRon Holmes II turnover (offensive foul)
8:23	+2	Tom Welch makes two point dunk (Braden Norris assists)	54-57
8:00		DaRon Holmes II turnover (bad pass) (Braden Norris steals)
7:56	+2	Des Watson makes two point layup (Braden Norris assists)	54-59
7:50		Flyers 30 second timeout
7:50		TV timeout
7:42	+2	Enoch Cheeks makes two point layup (DaRon Holmes II assists)	56-59
7:18		Tom Welch misses two point layup
7:16		Koby Brea defensive rebound
7:05		Jalen Quinn personal foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
7:05		TV timeout
7:05		DaRon Holmes II misses regular free throw 1 of 1
7:05		Miles Rubin defensive rebound
6:40	+2	Braden Norris makes two point jump shot	56-61
6:15		Jump ball. DaRon Holmes II vs. Braden Norris (Flyers gains possession)
6:09		Miles Rubin blocks Kobe Elvis's two point layup
6:07		Des Watson defensive rebound
5:50	+2	Des Watson makes two point jump shot (Braden Norris assists)	56-63
5:34		Jayden Dawson personal foul (Nate Santos draws the foul)
5:34	+1	Nate Santos makes regular free throw 1 of 2	57-63
5:34	+1	Nate Santos makes regular free throw 2 of 2	58-63
5:13		Philip Alston misses three point jump shot
5:11		Enoch Cheeks defensive rebound
5:05	+2	Enoch Cheeks makes two point layup	60-63
5:05		Philip Alston shooting foul (Enoch Cheeks draws the foul)
5:05	+1	Enoch Cheeks makes regular free throw 1 of 1	61-63
4:52		DaRon Holmes II blocks Braden Norris's two point layup
4:50		Ramblers offensive rebound
4:50		Philip Alston misses two point layup
4:50		DaRon Holmes II defensive rebound
4:36	+2	DaRon Holmes II makes two point layup (Kobe Elvis assists)	63-63
4:31		Ramblers 60 second timeout
4:12	+2	Philip Alston makes two point layup (Braden Norris assists)	63-65
3:55	+2	DaRon Holmes II makes two point layup (Kobe Elvis assists)	65-65
3:44		Enoch Cheeks personal foul (Jalen Quinn draws the foul)
3:44		Jalen Quinn misses regular free throw 1 of 2
3:44	+1	Jalen Quinn makes regular free throw 2 of 2	65-66
3:23		DaRon Holmes II turnover (lost ball) (Jalen Quinn steals)
3:04	+3	Philip Alston makes three point jump shot (Braden Norris assists)	65-69
2:54		Flyers 30 second timeout
2:33	+3	Koby Brea makes three point jump shot	68-69
2:11		Jump ball. Jalen Quinn vs. Enoch Cheeks (Ramblers gains possession)
2:09	+3	Braden Norris makes three point jump shot (Des Watson assists)	68-72
1:53		Miles Rubin blocks Koby Brea's two point layup
1:51		Flyers offensive rebound
1:37		Enoch Cheeks misses two point layup
1:35		Flyers offensive rebound
1:35		Flyers turnover (shot clock violation)
1:10		Dame Adelekun turnover (lost ball) (Enoch Cheeks steals)
1:03		Koby Brea misses three point jump shot
1:01		Philip Alston defensive rebound
0:59		Kobe Elvis personal foul (Braden Norris draws the foul)
0:59		Braden Norris misses regular free throw 1 of 2
0:59		Braden Norris misses regular free throw 2 of 2
0:59		Nate Santos defensive rebound
0:45		Miles Rubin personal foul (DaRon Holmes II draws the foul)
0:45	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 1 of 2	69-72
0:45	+1	DaRon Holmes II makes regular free throw 2 of 2	70-72
0:35		Ramblers 60 second timeout
0:17	+3	Braden Norris makes three point jump shot (Jalen Quinn assists)	70-75
0:17		Ramblers 30 second timeout
0:08	+2	Kobe Elvis makes two point layup	72-75
0:08		Flyers 30 second timeout
0:06		Kobe Elvis personal foul (Braden Norris draws the foul)
0:06	+1	Braden Norris makes regular free throw 1 of 2	72-76
0:06	+1	Braden Norris makes regular free throw 2 of 2	72-77
0:00		End of period

+ 1

Braden Norris makes regular free throw 2 of 2