Loyola of Chicago rallies for tight win over ULM in CBI title game

Apr 2, 2015, 04:39 am

MONROE, La. -- Devon Turk had 14 points, and Loyola of Chicago rallied to win the College Basketball Invitational title, 63-62 over Louisiana-Monroe on Wednesday night.

Loyola was down four points with five minutes left when Turk buried a 3-pointer from the wing to make it a one-point game.

Milton Doyle then hit a jumper, and Jeff White's steal led to two Doyle free throws to give the Ramblers a 61-58 lead with about three minutes left.

With three seconds left and Loyola up 63-60, Louisiana-Monroe's Jamaal Samuel missed the first foul shot of a one-and-one, and his teammates grabbed the board to cut the lead to one. But the Warhawks ran out of time.

Doyle finished with 13 points.

The Ramblers' Earl Peterson, who averaged 14 points per game in the championship series, was named the tournament's most valuable player, according to Loyola's website. He had 12 in this game, hitting five of seven shots from the field.

Majok Deng had 17 points for Louisiana-Monroe.

The dramatic end of the game was fitting as the teams tussled and kept the score close.

Early on, a three-point play from Majok Deng gave ULM an 11-7 lead, but five straight Loyola points gave the Ramblers a 14-12 lead. The Warhawks opened up a five-point lead before Loyola rallied again. Turk answered with a three, the 205th of his career to break the school record, according to the school's website.

The game stayed competitive throughout. Every time Loyola seemed to be taking control, ULM answered until the Ramblers' late run sealed it.

For the second straight game, Loyola shot better than 50 percent from the field. It hit 54.5 percent against one of the nation's top-10 field goal percentage defenses.