SAN JOSE – Des Watson poured in 24 points, helping the Ramblers to a first-round NIT win Wednesday night. Loyola Chicago outlasted a late San Jose State rally to win, 73-70. Watson went 8-15 from the field and 6-6 at the free throw line to fuel his sixth 20-point outing of the season. With the win, Loyola improved to 23-11 overall. The Ramblers advance to take on San Francisco in the second round on March 23 at 6 p.m. CT.
"Credit to San Jose and how they came and competed. They had a pretty electric environment tonight," said head coach Drew Valentine. "We started the game really flat and then played some pretty good basketball for 25-30 minutes before the mental errors came into play. At the end of the day, Des stepped up and made the plays the team needed to advance. We need leaders to step up and will your team to a win, and he did that for us tonight."
How It Happened
San Jose State drained the first three of the game to take control early, jumping ahead 8-2. The lead never got above six, as the Ramblers battled back. Des Watson scored five straight to get within one, while Jayden Dawson's three at the 14:29 mark gave Loyola its first lead of the night, 12-11. SJSU would find one more lead of the half before Sheldon Edwards Jr. hit his 100th three of the season to keep the Ramblers in control.
Loyola's lead diminished as SJSU chipped away, with Jose Uduje connecting on a big three to tie the game 24-all with 7:35 on the clock. Three minutes later, the Spartans regained a lead on a 6-0 run. Four were from Uduje whose layup off a Rambler turnover swung the momentum. Jermaine Washington hit a three just under the four-minute mark to put SJSU up by four, but Francis Nwaokorie scored back-to-back threes to lead Loyola on a 13-2 run to close the half with a lead, 42-35.
Loyola's lead went up to 10 right out of the break on a Dawson three. The lead climbed to 14 with seven straight Rambler points, as Watson put up five of them, including a fast-break three for the 54-40 edge with 16:03 to play. The Rambler lead stayed north of 10 over the next several minutes.
Miles Rubin would put away a dunk for Loyola's largest lead at the 9:17 mark, 67-52. After Rubin's dunk, the Spartans sparked their comeback. Donavan Yap Jr.'s steal and layup led SJSU on an 18-4 run to get back within one of the Ramblers, 71-70. Watson tallied all of Loyola's points in the final seven minutes, including two clutch free throws with 42 seconds on the clock. The Ramblers held on to win, 73-70.
Inside the Box Score
- Edwards Jr. recorded his 100th made three-pointer this season, setting the single-season record with his 86th make of the year.
- Watson finished with 24 points, marking his sixth 20-point performance this season, along with five rebounds and three assists.
- Rubin scored 14 points on 7-8 from the field and added seven rebounds, two assists, a steal, and two blocks.
- Nwaokorie neared a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds.
- Jalen Quinn added nine points, while Dawson scored eight.
- The Ramblers shot 49.1 percent from the field and made eight threes, while going 9-12 from the line compared to SJSU's 21-24.
The 2025 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) began its first round on March 18 and will continue through April 3, culminating in the championship at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Among the 32 teams, SMU, Dayton, San Francisco, and UC Irvine received the top four seeds. The NIT second round takes place on March 22 and 23, with semifinals scheduled for April 1 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
As Loyola Chicago looks ahead to their matchup against San Francisco, their recent form has them eager to make an impression as they build momentum throughout this tournament.
