Loyola (Chicago) did what it does best, playing tough defense and hitting 3-pointers as they beat Drake 75-65 in the championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament at Enterprise Center on Sunday.
The win sends the 20th-ranked Ramblers (24-4) to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four seasons and the seventh time in school history. Drake (25-4) is in the running for an at-large berth, and while its chances look good, they won’t know for sure until the tournament field is announced next Sunday.
The on-court celebration was muted compared to other seasons. At the final buzzer, it was the players and the Loyola staff exchanging hugs on the court.
Braden Norris and Cameron Krutwig led Loyola with 20 points each, and Krutwig also had eight rebounds and four assists. D.J. Wilkins and Tremell Murphy each had 20 points for Drake. Krutwig and Norris were selected to the all-tournament team and Krutwig was named to the tournament's most outstanding player.
The Ramblers made 10 of 17 3-pointers (58.8 percent).
Drake jumped out to an early lead, but once Loyola got settled in, they took control of the game and used a couple runs to build their lead to as high as 17 midway through the second half.
