Loyola (Md.) shocks IU, 72-67

As IU took the court against Loyola (Md.), IU coach Tom Crean said he thought his team was ready.

“I thought our preparation was excellent,” he said. “I thought we worked very hard. I wouldn’t change anything. I had no read, necessarily, that we weren’t going to come out and play well … but we got into a hole.”

That hole, which began with a 3-pointer by Greyhound guard Robert Olson 30 seconds into the game and only closed after a rally that took a total of nearly 35 minutes, was big enough to bury the Hoosiers in their 72-67 loss Tuesday.

The shocking 15-point lead the Greyhounds jumped out to without the Hoosiers even making a shot to begin the first half, Loyola coach Jimmy Pastos said, had its beginnings when his team saw IU was on its schedule.

“Our guys had this game circled,” he said. “We’re a mid-major. We play in front of 2,000 people. This is a big deal for us, and we were fired up to go.”

Greyhound players confirmed their coach’s belief that the team started out hot because of their excitement.

“We were just so amped up to play this game,” said Greyhound guard Brett Harvey, who put up 25 points on the night. “It was just all adrenaline.”

Meanwhile, IU, freshman guard Maurice Creek said, was wracked in disbelief.

“We were pretty stunned,” he said. “They hit a lot of shots. They hit a lot of tough shots, they hit a lot of open shots. “

Heading into halftime, Loyola held a commanding 18-point lead.

“We built ourselves that hole, and when you’re going against any team … it’s going to be tough to come back,” IU junior guard Jeremiah Rivers said.

Then came the second half.

IU started out in a 22-point hole and began to inch its way out of it. It started with a three by Creek at 13:22 to go in the half. Then, he hit another about half a minute later. Sophomore guard Verdell Jones cut the lead to 11 with another three on the next possession.

Suddenly, IU was on its way back up. The crowd was hysterical. And it didn’t stop there.

Creek, inspired, yelled to his teammates at one point.

“Right here,” he shouted. “Right here!”

Despite his screaming, despite the team’s tear at the Greyhounds’ ankles, despite coming back to lead by three with 3:48 to go – it wasn’t enough.

“We thought we had them,” Creek said. "We made big plays at the end and we fought hard and we did a lot of things that we really didn’t think we were capable of doing. They just made big plays at the end and they got a lot of calls. It went their way.”

Harvey said his team’s composure is what kept them in the game and allowed them to claim the game-winning edge.

“We were up big and that press really messed us up,” he said of the Hoosiers’ defensive look. “But once they went up three, we just told ourselves we have to stick together, stay calm. And it worked out at the end.”

It came down to about half a minute left, with Harvey holding the ball at the point. IU senior guard Devan Dumes was standing in front of him, waiting for a move, a pass – anything.

Harvey was the best free-throw shooter in the nation last year. Crean said they did not want to foul him, which is why Dumes waited until there were 17 seconds left before doing so.

Harvey came to the line. And, as the referee gave him the ball, the screams from the stands of Assembly Hall reached a fever pitch.

“The crowd was real loud,” Harvey said of the moment. “I just had to stay calm and focus and make the foul shots. I’ve been here for four years. I’ve taken some tough foul shots before. But these were real big foul shots.

“I know if I hit that, the games over, basically.”

He hit the foul shots. And the game was over. IU would come no closer, and the Greyhounds closed out the upset.

Crean said he gave credit to Pastos and his team for their victory. It was, he said “a tale of two halves,” and Loyola did what it took to win the ballgame.

“They earned it,” he said. “They earned it. There’s no doubt about that.”