No. 22 Loyola falls to Missouri State in first game this season as ranked team

Isiaih Mosley scored 40 points and Missouri State beat No. 22 Loyola 79-69 on Saturday at Gentile Arena, ending the Ramblers’ 10-game winning streak.

Donovan Clay added 16 points and Gaige Prim 11 for the Bears (15-6, 6-2 Missouri Valley Conference), who last beat an AP Top 25 team Dec. 28, 2011, when they defeated No. 21 Creighton 77-65.

Braden Morris had 16 points and Lucas Williamson 11 for Loyola (14-3, 5-1), which had won 30 straight home games for the fourth-longest active streak in Division I.

Missouri State led by as much as 20 and shot 60.9% from the field after halftime — and 53.8% for the game. The Bears also went 8 of 19 from beyond the arc.

“We just gave it to Isiaih Mosley, that’s pretty much handled all our shooting concerns,” Missouri State coach Dana Ford said. “He did a fantastic job getting to his sweet spots and playing off two feet. Our guys did a good job getting it to him. They knew he had a hot hand and instead of trying to do other things, we just kind of rode the way with him.”

Loyola — which was off to its best start since 1965-66, when the Ramblers won 15 of their first 16 games — shot 40.3% from the field.

“That middle of the game, we lost discipline, and I thought it was because we were missing shots, and it transferred over to our defense,” Loyola coach Drew Valentine said.

Missouri State trailed by seven during the first half but led 35-33 at halftime and opened the second half on an 11-1 run in a meeting of the top two teams in the MVC.

Aher Uguak made a 3 to pull the Ramblers within 57-42, but Mosley responded with his own 3 and shushed the crowd.

Mosley’s jumper extended the lead to 62-42. Mosley entered the game leading the MVC and was ranked 20th in the country with 20.2 points per game. He averaged 33 points in his previous four games, and he scored a career-high 43 on Jan. 8 against Northern Iowa.

“He’s a gym rat. He’ll come back out here right now and shoot if they let him come back and shoot,” Ford said.

The Ramblers pulled within eight on a 20-8 run, and Ryan Schwieger’s 3 made it 73-67 with 1:23 left. But Missouri State was able to make its free throws.

“The message after the game was we have to compete better, we have to play 40 minutes,” Norris said. “Let this one sink in.”

The Bears — who have won four straight and seven of eight — also were the last conference team to beat Loyola at its host venue (Feb. 17, 2019). The Ramblers had won 23 straight MVC games at Gentile Arena.

“I’m just happy we don’t have to come back,” Ford said.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri State: The Bears are on an upswing, winning 11 of their last 13. They were 4-4 after losing to then-No. 12 BYU on Dec. 4.

Ramblers: Loyola’s ranking will take a hit after it entered the AP Top 25 Monday for the first time this season.

HE SAID IT

Valentine did like his team’s comeback.

“I’m proud of our guys, proud of their battle, their fight, their grit,” he said. “But there’s so much room for improvement.”

BIG NUMBERS

Mosley scored 40 for the second time in five games. It was the fifth 40-point game in school history.

UP NEXT

Missouri State: Faces Indiana State on Tuesday.

Loyola: Hosts Southern Illinois on Tuesday.