Krutwig leads No. 22 Loyola Chicago past Indiana State 65-49

Posted March 06, 2021 6:00 am

By DAVID SOLOMON

Loyola of Chicago head coach Porter Moser is seen on the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Indiana State in the semifinal round of the Missouri Valley Conference men's tournament Saturday, March 6, 2021, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Cameron Krutwig had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 22 Loyola Chicago beat Indiana State 65-49 on Saturday to advance to the Missouri Valley Conference tournament final.

Krutwig also had four assists and blocked three shots. Fellow senior Lucas Williamson scored 14 points for the Ramblers (23-4), and Keith Clemons had 12.

'œThe five starters have really kind of taken it upon ourselves to set the tone in games,'ť Krutwig said. 'œIt's not just offensively. It's mostly on defense. When it comes down to it we were firing on all cylinders, making the right reads.'ť

Indiana State (15-10) shot 38.5% (20 for 52) from the field. Jake LaRavia scored 13 points, and Tyreke Key had 11 on 4-for-13 shooting.

Key was averaging 17.5 points per game coming into the day.

'œWe just have a constant respect for him," Ramblers forward Aher Ugusk said. 'œGuarding him with being physical and just keying on him has just been a goal of ours.'ť

The Sycamores were one of two teams to beat top-seeded Loyola in conference play with a 76-71 win at home on Jan. 10. But they fell behind early in this one and never caught up.

'œThey just came out and steamrolled us with making shots and put us behind the eight ball early.'ť Sycamores coach Greg Lansing said.

Braden Norris set the tone by hitting three 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes. The Ramblers led 42-28 at halftime.

'œIt felt like we were loose,'ť Ramblers coach Porter Moser said. 'œWe know we can shoot and the guys have just been really loose shooting it.'ť

DYNAMIC DUO

It was the 96th win at Loyola for Krutwig and Williamson, who continue to build on their record as the winningest four-year players in school history. Both played on the 2018 team that went to the Final Four.

'œI think it just kind of comes full circle,'ť Krutwig said. 'œMy freshman year we were able to win it and I think there's a lot of similarities with the mindset that we have.'ť

BIG PICTURE

Indiana State: Lansing has 181 wins with the Sycamores, leaving him one behind Duane Klueh's school record.

Loyola Chicago: The Ramblers set the tone again with suffocating defense. Loyola has not allowed more than 54 points in each of its past six wins in the conference tournament.

UP NEXT

Loyola Chicago faces the winner of the Missouri State-Drake semifinal on Sunday.

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More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Indiana State's Randy Miller Jr. (44) heads to the basket past Loyola of Chicago's Marquise Kennedy (12) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Missouri Valley Conference men's tournament Saturday, March 6, 2021, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) The Associated Press

Indiana State's Tyreke Key (11) heads to the basket past Loyola of Chicago's Lucas Williamson (1) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Missouri Valley Conference men's tournament Saturday, March 6, 2021, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) The Associated Press

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