Wichita State is the only Missouri Valley program Loyola has not defeated since joining the conference three years ago, and that will remain the case for at least a few more weeks.
The Shockers romped the Ramblers on Wednesday, cruising to an 80-54 win at Charles Koch Arena. Loyola started 2-of-16 from the field as No. 22 Wichita State easily built an 18-6 lead in the opening minutes.
Loyola (9-12, 2-7 MVC) trailed by as many as 19 points in the first half but closed the deficit to 37-24 at halftime. With 14:05 left in the second half, guard Jeff White’s layup brought the Ramblers within 47-36.
Wichita State (15-5, 9-0 MVC) responded with a 9-0 run, which turned into a 17-2 run spurt and eventually a 23-4 extended run. By the time Loyola regained its footing with an Earl Peterson and-one, it trailed 70-40.
Peterson led Loyola with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting, along with senior forward Montel James, who had identical scoring and shooting numbers.
As a team, the Ramblers shot 39.2 percent from the field. Junior guard Milton Doyle, a preseason All-MVC Honorable Mention, continued to struggle with six points on 2-of-10 shooting. He had more success distributing with four assists and two turnovers.
Sophomore forward Shaquille Morris led Wichita State with 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks. The Shockers displayed a balanced scoring effort with six other players scoring at least eight points.
