After a challenging first season in the Atlantic 10 conference, the Loyola Ramblers opened their season with a 104-44 blowout win in their exhibition match against the Trinity Christian Trolls. Strong performances from the field, along with an impressive showing on defense, gave the Ramblers many positives as they look ahead to the regular season. Here are three observations from the game:
Philip Alston is still a beast (not that anyone had to be reminded)
After a breakout season the year prior, Philip Alston continued his strong run with a standout performance today to unofficially kick off his senior season. The forward led all players with 17 points in 15 minutes of action, posting a 7-12 clip in the game. Alston often ran into foul trouble last season but managed to keep a clean sheet today, going foul-less while subsequently drawing 6 fouls on himself.
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Miles Rubin has arrived
What the Ramblers have often lacked since the departure of campus legend Cameron Krutwig is a constant presence in the paint. Enter Miles Rubin. The freshman joined the Ramblers this year as a three-star recruit (Top-30 nationally at his position) and immediately made his presence known to the Gentile faithful with a perfect 5-5 clip for 11 points, including four thunderous dunks. In addition, he also contributed 4 rebounds and led all players with 3 blocks in 14 minutes on the court.
New transfers make an impact
The Ramblers put themselves in a good position this offseason, returning many key young pieces while pairing them with experienced veteran transfers. Many of them played a heavy role in today’s game, with grad student Patrick Mwamba leading the pack with 13 points, boasting a 3-6 clip from beyond the arc. Greg Dolan and Des Watson also contributed key points today with 10 and 8 points, respectively. Dolan also led all players in the game with 4 steals.
Next up for the Ramblers is their season opener, heading to Wintrust Arena to take on one of last year’s Final Four teams in FAU in the Barstool Invitational.