Dec. 20, 2009

Box Score

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Terrance Hill and Walt Gibler accounted for 45 points Sunday as Loyola defeated Southern Illinois University Edwardsville 79-61 in men's basketball at the Vadalabene Center.

Loyola, 8-2, opened up a 13-2 lead to open the game and held steady. The Cougars, 2-9, were able to work it back to a seven-point deficit by halftime 36-29. SIUE kept it close early in the second half, but Loyola put together a 14-0 run midway through the second half to hold off the Cougars.

Mark Yelovich led SIUE with 18 points, including a 9-for-10 performance from the free throw line. Aamir McCleary was the only other Cougar in double figures with 13 points.

Hill led all scorers with 23 points followed by 22 from Gibler, who came off the bench. Loyola's bench was a huge lift, outscoring SIUE's bench 37-11. Marcus Thomas, also off the Ramblers' bench, scored 12.

SIUE Coach Lennox Forrester had to juggle his lineup with senior guard Stephen Jones being under the weather. Jones had started the previous 10 games for the Cougars.

"He wasn't even going to be at the game today," said Forrester. Jones dressed for the game but was not expected to get any playing time. "I asked him for one possession in the first half, and he gave me a pretty good defensive effort. I told him second half you're playing."

Loyola shot 49.1 percent from the field and made 8 of 16 from three-point range. SIUE finished 5 of 17 from three-point range. The Cougars also hit 20 of 25 from the free throw line.

Next up for SIUE is No. 4-ranked Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. The game set for Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Purdue is the highest-ranked team SIUE has ever faced since playing a Division I schedule.

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