The chances of a team that usually only hits 27 percent of their 3-pointers suddenly going 12-23 from beyond the arc are not very good.
It was the Loyola men's basketball team's lucky day Saturday against William & Mary because the Ramblers hit a season-high 12 treys in defeating the Tribe 71-66 in BracketBusters play.
"We shot the ball better than we normally do," head coach Jim Whitesell said. "We have been guilty of falling in love with the three this year. Having 16 assists was a big part of us shooting the ball well."
The Ramblers started with an inspired offensive effort Saturday against William & Mary, led by senior Tracy Robinson who scored six points before the 15-minute mark. Robinson nailed a 3-pointer with 15:02 remaining to give Loyola a 10-5 lead.
Not to be outdone by his teammate junior Justin Cerasoli began to heat up, hitting a 3-pointer with 13:21 remaining to further Loyola's lead to 16-7.
Cerasoli later ended a 6-0 run by William & Mary. With 4:20 remaining, he knocked down a 3-pointer, putting the Ramblers up 26-18.
Closing out the half, Cerasoli nailed another 3-pointer to give Loyola a 31-20 lead. In total, Cerasoli scored 13 points in the first half. However, his ability to help facilitate the offense is what impressed Whitesell.
"Justin [Cerasoli] played really well for us today," Whitesell said. "When he gives us that extra play, we are a better team."
One area of concern for Loyola was its reliance on the 3-ball, scoring only two points in the paint in the first half while William & Mary posted 14 points in the paint. The fear was calmed a minute into the second half when Robinson nailed another 3-pointer to give the Ramblers a 34-22 lead.
Sophomore Andy Polka contributed to the Loyola effort with a layup at the 10:50 mark, putting the Ramblers up 45-32.
William & Mary narrowed its deficit on two free throws with 6:15 remaining to keep the Ramblers close, but junior J.R. Blount provided some more cushion by knocking down key shots heading into the closing seconds of the game.
However, William & Mary brought itself within striking distance as it were down 66-61 with 25 seconds left.
But Loyola's first half heroes came up big again as Robinson and Cerasoli combined for four crucial points on free throws to give the Ramblers a seven-point lead with 12 seconds left. Those points sealed the game as Loyola left the court as 71-66 victors.
"This is a good win for us," Whitesell said. "William & Mary is a good team. They really give you multiple looks."
Robinson finished the night with 20 points and a career-high eight assists. Cerasoli chipped in with 18 points and four assists.
The victory helped finish a productive week as the Rambler seniors went out on top with a win over Valpo on Thursday.
Prior to the game, the Crusaders sat one spot ahead of the Ramblers in the Horizon League standings. Playing on Senior Night, the Gentile Center was filled with emotions as the seniors played the last game of their career at home.
The game started out close with the Ramblers making shots and Valparaiso countering. Junior Darrin Williams gave Loyola some separation on two consecutive free throws to put the Ramblers ahead 14-10 with 10:43 remaining.
The Crusaders fought back, however, on a 13-0 run to give themselves a comfortable 23-14 lead with 7:11 left in the half.
Robinson ended the Rambler scoring drought with a jumper at the 6:16 mark. Then Williams caught fire as he was all over the court in the remaining minutes of the first half, helping Loyola to a 33-28 halftime lead.
"We always look for Darrin [Williams] down low," Blount said. "Tonight we got it to him and he was making plays. He was making J-hooks and posting up and also getting defensive rebounds."
One first half developement was the Ramblers shooting 80 percent from the free throw line but allowing the Crusaders to shoot a robust 50 percent from the 3-point line.
Out of the half Loyola got off to a good start. Williams helped to tip in a ball with 16:32 remaining to give the Ramblers a 42-35 advantage.
Loyola's post players clearly owned the paint. Both Williams and Tom Levin provided match up problems throughout the night for the Crusaders.
"We needed size," Whitesell said. "They have such great size with guys like [Urule] Igbavboa and Bryan Bouchie. Putting Darrin in there helps the size factor. Tom Levin got some good playing time tonight, too. He's a guy that's been playing hurt all year and we didn't even play him last week because of it, but tonight he played and played well."
Loyola's advantage post play diminished as the minutes wound down toward the end of the game. Beginning at the 12:34 mark, Valparaiso went on a 17-6 run giving them a 60-57 lead with 3:09 remaining.
Williams countered with back-to-back jumpers to give Loyola a 63-60 lead. Free throws by Cerasoli helped to seal a 68-61 Loyola victory.
Williams was clearly the catalyst for the Ramblers with 19 points and seven boards.
"I just try to go out there and give 100 percent every game," Williams said. "Coach Whitesell just always says you have to play hard all the time to be successful and obviously that paid off tonight. I was just trying to go hard and get a win. This is a losing season and there have been some games that we should have won and we didn't, so this is huge for us."
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