Indiana St. Sycamores vs Loyola-Chicago Ramblers Match Player Stats On Mar 06, 2021

Cameron Krutwig scored 18 points to lead four players in double figures on Saturday as No. 20 Loyola Chicago cruised to a 65-49 win over Indiana State in the first semifinal of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament in St. Louis.

Krutwig also added 11 rebounds and four assists for the top-seeded Ramblers (23-4), who will play Sunday for the tournament championship against Drake, which later defeated Missouri State.

Lucas Williamson scored 14 points, Keith Clemons had 12 and Aher Uguak added 10 in the win.

Loyola shot 49 percent from the field, connected on 8 of 19 3-point attempts and notched assists on 17 of 25 baskets. It also excelled defensively, holding the fourth-seeded Sycamores to 38.5 percent field goal shooting and earning a 32-27 rebounding advantage.

Jake LaRavia scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Indiana State, while Tyreke Key added 11 points. But it wasn't enough to keep the Sycamores from probably ending their season with a 15-10 mark.

It might have been the last game on the Indiana State sideline for coach Greg Lansing, whose 181 wins in 11 years is one shy of the school record. Multiple reports say the school won't retain him when his contract expires at the end of March.

For the second straight game, Loyola jumped out to a fast start. After scoring the first 10 points in Friday's 73-49 rout of Southern Illinois, the Ramblers established a 17-6 lead at the 14:01 mark of the first half on a layup by Uguak.

Consecutive 3-pointers by Clemons and Braden Norris increased Loyola's advantage to 28-13 with 10:38 left. At the under-8 timeout of the half, the Ramblers led 30-17 and were 12 of 20 from the field -- 6 of 9 on 3s -- with nine assists and only one turnover.

The margin increased to 18 on a couple of occasions late in the half before Key canned a short jumper just before time expired, sending the Sycamores to the locker room with a 42-28 deficit.

--Field Level Media