Men’s basketball (18-11, 7-9 Atlantic 10) suffered a 77-57 defeat against Loyola Chicago (19-9, 10-5 A-10) on Wednesday night, marking their first loss since surpassing last season’s win total.
Following their commanding 74-52 victory over Massachusetts on Saturday, the Revolutionaries struggled to find their offensive rhythm on the road, falling behind five minutes in and never regaining control of the game. The loss drops GW to 7-9 in A-10 play, with just two regular-season games remaining before the conference tournament beginning on March 12.
The Revs’ road record falls to 4-6 on the season, highlighting their struggles away from the Smith Center, where they’ve compiled a 12-4 mark.
Redshirt junior forward Rafael Castro was the lone bright spot for the Revs, providing most of the offense with his 14th-straight double-digit effort, finishing with a game-high 18 points and eight rebounds. Still, his efforts weren’t enough to overcome the deficit. The rest of GW’s offense struggled to contribute, with the team shooting a disappointing 37 percent from the field, 20-54, and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc, 7-19.
A concerning trend for the Revs was their inability to generate balanced scoring, as no other player reached double figures beyond Castro. This starkly contrasts their recent victory over Massachusetts, where multiple players made significant offensive contributions. GW also struggled from beyond the arc, a weakness that has plagued them in several conference losses this season.
The Ramblers seized control early, taking the lead with 15:05 left in the first half and never relinquishing it. GW fell behind by 15 early in the first half, 28-13, but uncorked a 9-0 run in a two-minute span to get back within six, 28-22, with eight minutes left in the opening stanza. However, the Revs scored just four more points going into the locker room and trailed 41-26 at the break.
Junior guard Jayden Dawson led Loyola Chicago’s offensive attack, shooting 5 for 14 — 4 for 9 from 3-point range — and two of three from the free-throw line to finish with 16 points. Dawson’s nine first-half points helped the Ramblers build their commanding halftime lead.
Loyola Chicago erased any thought of a comeback attempt by starting the second half on a 14-3 run to expand the lead to 26 and cruised the rest of the way. The Ramblers went on a 10-0 run to push their lead to a staggering 75-45.
Senior forward Francis Nwaokorie added 12 points while shooting a perfect 4 of 4 from beyond the arc and grabbed eight rebounds, while junior guard Jalen Quinn contributed an efficient 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting from the field. GW’s offense, which had been clicking in their weekend victory over UMass, never found its rhythm against the Ramblers’ stifling defense.
With the A-10 tournament approaching, the team will need to address their inconsistencies on offense, specifically on shots from beyond the arc, as they prepare for their final home game against La Salle. The Revs previously lost to La Salle 73-67 in Philadelphia on Feb. 1 and will be looking to even the season series.
The Revs return to the Smith Center on Saturday to host La Salle (12-16, 4-11 A-10) with tipoff scheduled for 6 p.m. A pregame ceremony honoring the team’s four seniors will begin at approximately 5:45 p.m.
