Philip Alston scored 23 points and Loyola Chicago defeated Clemson 76-58 on Saturday at the Holiday Hoopsgiving showcase in Atlanta.
Braden Norris added 19 points for Loyola Chicago (5-5), which won back-to-back games for the second time this season. The Ramblers also got nine points each from Tom Welch and Jayden Dawson.
Chase Hunter had 13 points for Clemson (8-3), which had a four-game win streak come to an end. Brevin Galloway added 12 points and Hunter Tyson had 10.
Three-point shooting was the difference.
The Ramblers made 12 of 24 3-pointers, including nine by Alston and Norris. Clemson attempted 21 from beyond the arc and missed 18.
The Ramblers shot 56.3 percent from the field overall.
A strong shooting performance was built on the Ramblers moving the ball around, too. The Ramblers had an 18-6 edge in assists. Norris had a game-high seven, compiling more than the entire Tigers team.
It was also an odd night when it came to rebounds. The sharp-shooting Ramblers only grabbed one offensive rebound in the win. Overall Clemson had a 28-27 edge in rebounds.
Alston made a layup with 11:43 remaining in the first half to give the Ramblers a 15-14 lead. From there Loyola Chicago never looked back.
Alston’s layup was part of a 14-4 run to force a Clemson timeout with 8:16 remaining, which gave Loyola Chicago a 23-16 lead.
The timeout only temporarily stalled the Ramblers, who eventually led 37-26 at halftime after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Norris.
Alston made a 3-pointer early in the second half to make it a 14-point lead for the Ramblers, 40-26. It was the largest lead of the night until Loyola pushed to a 20-point advantage late in the game as Clemson kept missing 3-pointers.
Loyola Chicago returns to play next Sunday against Albany. Clemson hosts Richmond next Saturday night.
–Field Level Media