Dick Weiss on NCAA Tournament
ATLANTA—Another prayer answered.
Loyola-Chicago, the small Catholic school from the North side of Chicago, continued to captivate this country here last night with their belief, defeating Nevada, 69-68, to advance to the finals of the NCAA South Region at Phillips Arena.
The Ramblers have a pocketful of miracles. This time, the Ramblers were clinging to a one lead over the Wolf Pack in the final 6.3 seconds when guard Marques Townes made a huge three-point jumper to give them a two possession 69-65 lead and Loyola survived.
The 11th seeded 31-5 Missouri Valley champions have won three games in this tournament by a total of four points, defeating sixth-seeded Miami from the ACC, 64-62, on a three at the buzzer by forward Donte Ingram in the first round and then stunning SEC co-champion Tennessee, 63-62, on a jumper by guard Clayton Custer that bounced around the rim and fell through with 3.7 seconds left to play.
“It’s been a season long journey with that, believing we can win’’ Loyola’s rising coaching star Porter Moser said. “These guys have found ways to win. I would say—obviously when you beat a team like Florida early in the season and Clay(ton) went out and the way the guys rallied in the locker room at halftime to win a game like that, it just grows.
“They’re a completely unselfish group. The culture and tightness is really something. And then you find ways to believe. We have seven of these guys who have won state championships. Aundre Jackson took his team to the junior college national championship in Hutchinson, Kansas. When you have the winning gene these guys keep believing. They keep buying in. We have thought about the total combined points involved in our victories. We just talked about putting it in the bank.’’
Townes, the 6-4 red shirt junior from Edison, N.J who had been quiet the first two games, finished with 18 points and was the best player on the court for the Ramblers, who advanced to a regional final for the first time since 1963, when they won an unexpected national championship.
Four players from that enchanted team, Jerry Harkness, Les Hunter, Johnny Egan and Rich Roselle, had front row seats. In the final minutes of the game, the 78-year old Harkness could be heard yelling, ‘We need a stop. We need a stop.’’
Faith is a powerful thing, as team chaplain Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the 98-year old nun, will tell you. But not even she could have predicted this run. She had Loyola advancing to the Sweet 16, then bowing out. “I’m sorry for busting Sister Jean’s bracket,’’ Townes said. “But we’re happy to be going to the Final Eight. I mean, this was not to silence people. We knew what we wanted to do. We knew what our goal was. We’re been doing this all year long, just taking one game at a time.”
Sister Jean, who watched the game from a wheel chair following a hip injury, sounded happy to still be dancing. “Here we come next team, whoever you are,’’ she said.
The Ramblers started the second half shooting a perfect 13-for-13 and shot 75 percent in the second half, but they needed all the character it could muster after the wild but talented seventh seeded Wolf Pack sliced into a 12-point Loyola lead, tying the game at 59-59 when Nevada forward Cody Martin scored on a driving layup with 4:06 to play. But, then on the following possession, Jackson nailed a three with 2:57 to play to give Loyola the lead for good.
The Ramblers, who also got 15 points apiece from Jackson and Custer, needed every one of them to offset a combined 37 points from Caleb and Cody Martin, the twin transfers from North Carolina State and prevent a third Nevada comeback in this tournament.
The Wolf Pack (29-8) heightened the drama when they scored 44 points in the second half, much like the 32 they scored in the final 11 minutes when they rallied from 22 down to stun second-seed Cincinnati in a second-round game.
Only this time, Loyola made the clutch plays when it counted. ‘It’s been that way the whole year, the unselfishness,’’ Moser said. ‘’You’re heard them say the first two games, it could have been any one of us, and they believe it.’’
Townes almost didn’t get a chance to become Loyola’s latest hero after he banged his knee late in the first half. ‘’I’m okay. Like Coach said, ‘I’m a warrior.’
“It was a little shock, just one of those plays where it just stuns you quick, but I got back up. I’m fine now.’’
