Loyola falls to Nevada in Sweet Sixteen rematch
It was supposed to be a memorable rematch.
For Loyola, it was a forgettable mismatch.
Facing fifth-ranked Nevada on Tuesday night at Gentile Arena after edging the Wolf Pack 69-68 in the Sweet Sixteen last March, the Ramblers were staggered early and never able to make a full recovery.
"I figured they would come out with a punch," senior guard Marques Townes said after Loyola lost to Nevada 79-65. "We didn't respond. We couldn't stop the bleeding."
As anticipated, the Wolf Pack (7-0) had plenty of motivation after blowing a 12-point lead against the Ramblers in last season's NCAA Tournament. While they went home, Loyola advanced to the Final Four.
Nevada coach Eric Musselman and his talented team led by senior twins Caleb and Cody Martin took notice of the Final Four banner hanging in the rafters and went to work.
"We stared at the banner in the shootaround," Musselman said. "We felt like we could have been a team in the Final Four. For all of us, it stung last year, but we were rooting for Loyola after they beat us."
Led by Caleb Martin's 17 points, the Wolf Pack shot 63 percent from the floor in the first half and led 44-28 at the break.
"It was a lot of motivation," Caleb Martin said of last year's loss to the Ramblers. "We had a chip on our shoulder. We had something to prove.
"We thought that could have been us. But they had a lot of momentum last year and at the time they wanted it more."
Loyola (4-3) did try to push back in the second half, and the Ramblers cut Nevada's lead to 71-60 with 2:23 to play. But with top scorers Clayton Custer (10 points) and Cameron Krutwig (11) held in check on a combined 9-of-22 shooting, Loyola lost its second straight.
"We have to get better from this, and that's what we have to be obsessed with," Loyola coach Porter Moser said. "We have to grow from this game."
Townes led the Ramblers with 24 points, and Moser was impressed with Cooper Kaifes, who added 11.
"Huge bright spot," Moser said of the freshman guard. "He was not afraid of the moment, not afraid of the stage."