Ramblers pounce on the Wildcats: 3 Observations

The Loyola Ramblers, fresh off of beating Dayton on Friday, carried it over to defeat the Davidson Wildcats by a score of 69-59. The Ramblers now move to 22-8 heading into their regular-season finale on Saturday. Here are three observations from the win:

Record-tying Rubin

Freshman Miles Rubin had a game for the ages tonight, equalling his career-high points total with 13 points to share the team lead. Rubin was everywhere tonight, shining in the defensive zone with two steals and nine rebounds, coming up just short of another double-double.

Where he continues to make a name for himself is through his blocks. Rubin ranks near the top of the nation in blocks per game and came up with five tonight, tying Loyola’s single-season block record of 66.

Watson shines in Belk Arena return

Junior guard Des Watson had already faced off against his former team in February, but finally made his return to Belk Arena as a visitor tonight. The former Wildcat made his presence known, equalling Rubin’s 13 points to share the team lead.

After tonight, Watson is averaging 15.5 points per game against his former team, shooting 45 percent from the field in those games. The guard was also dishing it out plenty, leading the team with five assists. 

Second half charge puts game out of reach

After a late buzzer-beater for the Wildcats at halftime, the Ramblers led by just a pair going into the break. The Ramblers opened the next half on a tear, opening up as large as a 17-point lead at one point.

The Ramblers outscored the Wildcats 37-29 in the second half, pulling away with an even 50 percent field goal clip in the final 20 minutes. The Ramblers shot the ball from outside the arc at a much better rate, coming in with a 57.1 percent total compared to just 31.3 percent in the first half.

The Ramblers now gear up for Senior Night, hosting LaSalle for their final game of the season on Saturday. Tipoff is slated for 3:00 p.m. on NBC Sports Chicago.