Late Push Comes Up Short As UMass Falls To Loyola Chicago, 64-62

AMHERST, Mass. – UMass ended the game on a 19-3 scoring run but came up short on the last possession in a 64-62 loss to Loyola Chicago on Tuesday night in the Mullins Center. The Minutemen (13-13 Overall, 4-10 Atlantic 10) held the Ramblers (9-16 Overall, 3-10 Atlantic 10) without a point for 7:29 in the second half as they mounted their comeback.

Loyola Chicago took its largest lead of the evening at 18 with 9:51 to play after Ben Schweiger hit a 3-pointer to give the visitors a 61-43 advantage. The Ramblers were held to just six made field goals in the second half while going 9-of-15 from the free throw line.

UMass, meanwhile, shot 46-percent from the field and 56-percent from 3-point range in the second half to mount its comeback bid. The Minutemen finished the night at 42-percent from the field and posted a 34-to-33 rebound advantage after out-rebounding the visitors by five over the final 20 minutes. RJ Luis hauled in a tied for game-high six boards while Isaac Kante grabbed five.

T.J. Weeks Jr. started a stretch of 14 unanswered UMass points with an and-one finish as part of his 16 second half points. Weeks knocked down a 3-pointer and hit a shot from the line the following possession with 6:16 to go to bring UMass within single digits. The redshirt junior put in his final shot from behind the arc with 1:34 remaining to make it a one possession game at 63-60. Weeks finished with a team-leading 18 points to go along with two rebounds and two assists.

Keon Thompson hit a mid-range jumper with just over 30-seconds remaining to make it a one-point game at 63-62. Thompson ended the night with eight points and three rebounds.

The Ramblers converted on 1-of-2 at the free throw line to set up a chance for the Minutemen to tie or take the lead. Weeks' shot attempt fell shot and was recovered by Isaac Kante for one last chance that didn't go down as the final buzzer sounded.

Loyola Chicago led by as many as 16 points in the first half as it took a 36-20 advantage with 1:33 remaining in the opening frame. Braden Norris scored 16 of his 17 points in the opening half for the Ramblers, knocking down 4-of-7 shots from deep, while Philip Alston added 13 points and six boards.

Dyondre Dominguez added nine points on 4-of-7 from the field with four rebounds and three assists in his first start of the season. Nine different Minutemen finished in the scoring column for UMass with 19 points coming off the bench.

The Minutemen head to Kingston, R.I. on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip-off against rival Rhode Island on ESPNU before returning home for another nationally televised matchup against Dayton on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.

For complete coverage of the UMass men's basketball team, follow the Minutemen on Twitter at @UMassMBB, on Instagram and Facebook at @UMassBasketball and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.

Scoreboard

Late Push Comes Up Short As UMass Falls To Loyola Chicago, 64-62

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Team Stats

T.J. Weeks Jr.

Dyondre Dominguez

Keon Thompson

Isaac Kante

Players Mentioned

Dyondre Dominguez

Isaac Kante

RJ Luis

Keon Thompson

T.J. Weeks Jr.

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics