Loyola was in the spirit of the season Saturday. The Ramblers gave until they hurt in their 79-61 loss to Western Michigan at the Gentile Center.
Led by Ben Reed and Mike Williams, the Broncos (5-1) clearly had the better team. But the Ramblers (2-4) made the visitors’ task easier because of their generosity.
They committed 16 turnovers, converted only 13-of-27 free throws and made only 21-of-63 shots from the floor. For long stretches of time they raced helter-skelter up and down the floor without much purpose and even less passing.
“That was a big key,” said Reed, a 6-foot-3-inch junior who hit 7-of-11 shots and had 20 points. “They played into our hands. They were trying to get it back too quickly. We just kept patient and kept increasing our lead.”
Reed was referring to the first 12 minutes of the second half, when the Broncos surged from a 35-31 halftime deficit into a 62-49 lead. He and Williams (18 points) each scored 10 of their team’s 31 points in that stretch.
“That was because of our experience,” Broncos coach Steve Hawkins said. “Our players have game experience. They recognized situations and knew what to do.”
Loyola coach Larry Farmer said his team has been “mentally down” since the closing moments of the Oral Roberts game that began their current three-game losing streak.
What can Farmer do to revitalize his team?
“That will be as important as anything I do all year,” Farmer said. “We’ll practice at 8 a.m. [Sunday]. I love `em, but this is mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. We have to revive them.”
About the only bright spot for Loyola was the torrid first-half shooting by 6-7 freshman Blake Schilb, a native of downstate Rantoul. Last year, Schilb averaged 15 points per game for Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. Saturday he went 4-of-4 from three-point range when he scored 18 of his total 21 points in the first half.
In the second half, Western Michigan guarded Schilb much closer and knocked him down after he took a couple of shots.
“There’s a big difference between playing here and in high school,” Schilb said. “I’m encouraged my teammates looked to me when I was hitting. I try to get the ball to the man with the hot hand. It’s a team game.”
Schilb also led the Ramblers with seven rebounds and four assists.
Senior forward Paul McMillan hit only 1-of-8 shots, scored only two points and had five rebounds. He went into the game leading the Ramblers with an average of 19.5 points per game and leading the Horizon League with a 9.2 average in rebounds.
Western’s Williams, a 6-8 senior, was scoreless in the first half when he played only four minutes because of foul trouble.
“Coach said keep it close until we get our horse back in the game,” Reed said.
