Blount's big finish helps Loyola past NIU
Unable to make a jumper to save Loyola's life, junior guard J.R. Blount kept slashing to the hoop and hoping to get fouled.
But with the final seconds of regulation ticking away and the Ramblers trailing Northern Illinois by 3 points Saturday night, Blount had no choice but to try another bomb.
Blount swished an open 3-pointer with 5.8 seconds left to send an entertaining nonconference clash at the Gentile Center into overtime.
Once there, the lead changed hands three more times before Andy Polka and Blount teamed up for 7 straight points to lift Loyola to a 76-72 triumph.
Though he shot just 4 of 16 from the floor, Blount (16 points) shared game-high scoring honors with teammate Leon Young.
The only shot he made outside the lane all night came on the crucial 3-pointer from the top of the key that induced the game's biggest roar.
"I came down and they trapped me," Blount said. "I went to Andy and he got it right back to me and ball-screened.
"The defender (Jeremy Landers) tried to beat me to the right -- I knew he was going to do that -- so I just put it behind my back and it was wide open. Those are the shots you're supposed to make. I wasn't making them throughout the game, so I guess I made it at the right time."
An overtime win on this night seemed fitting for Loyola (4-5), seeing as how nine members of its all-1960s team took in the action from midcourt seats.
That esteemed group included Jerry Harkness and Ron Miller, two of the Iron Men from the 1963 team that took overtime to defeat Cincinnati in the NCAA championship game.
"For our season, I think we're going to have a lot of these games where you just don't give up," said Loyola coach Jim Whitesell. "We lost a couple this way early in the season, too, so maybe we're learning some things and getting better at it."
Northern Illinois (2-8) took its biggest lead in the final minute of regulation as junior guard Jarvis Nichols (15 points) went berserk.
With Loyola leading 60-58, Nichols drove to the basket for a layup with 1:50 to go to snap a four-minute-plus scoreless streak.
After a Ramblers turnover, Nichols drove into the lane and elevated over 6-foot-7 Tracy Robinson for a 10-footer to give NIU the lead.
Then Nichols anticipated a Blount pass, stole it and went the length of the court for a layup and a 64-60 edge with 50.9 seconds to go.
Ross Forman made a free throw to pull Loyola within 3 with 45 seconds left. Whitesell nearly chopped off his own arm on the sideline in an effort to get his guys to foul, but they didn't notice.
That turned out to work in Loyola's favor.
NIU's Darion Anderson went in for a hanging layup with 15 seconds left, but Robinson blocked it and Blount headed upcourt to send it to overtime.
"I thought it was a good basketball game," said Huskies coach Ricardo Patton, "other than the fact we didn't come away with a win."
NIU has a week off before going to Green Bay, while Loyola heads to Saint Louis on Wednesday with transfer guard Justin Cerasoli (West Aurora) finally eligible to play.
"Justin can help us at the point a lot," Whitesell said. "He'll definitely, right off the bat, get in there. He's earned that in his playing time in practice. It'll be a good punch in the arm."