Men’s basketball drops sixth consecutive game 68–73 to Loyola Chicago

“I think you got to take everything with a grain of salt, and stay positive, stay connected through this time,” junior captain and guard Jackson Hicke told The Daily Princetonian.

On Saturday afternoon, Princeton men’s basketball (3–9 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) once again found themselves on the wrong side of a narrow margin, losing to the Loyola Chicago Ramblers (3–7, 0–0 Atlantic 10) 73–68.

The loss marked the Tigers’ sixth straight setback — their longest single-season skid since the 2017–18 season — and continued a stretch of frustratingly close finishes, with Princeton’s last five defeats decided by just 21 combined points.

The Orange and Black were shorthanded yet again, playing without junior guard and captain Dalen Davis for the sixth consecutive contest. Davis — the team’s leading scorer, averaging 16.5 points per game — injured his right ankle in a Nov. 20 game over Northeastern, the last time the Tigers won. Junior forward Malik Abdullahi was also out for the second straight game after picking up a toe injury in a 60–58 loss to St. Joseph’s on Nov. 30.

“I think the biggest change was the leadership role,” sophomore guard Jack Stanton wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “Dalen is a great leader and leads by example extremely well. So having him out, I’ve had to fill in some pretty big and important shoes.”

Stanton — a Downers Grove, Ill. native — led the Tigers with 14 points in a game played just 30 miles from his hometown. Hicke added 13 points, while first-year guard Sebastian Whitfield earned his second career start and contributed 10 points and seven rebounds despite a rough shooting night (3-for-12).

The first half was a game of runs. After the Ramblers went up 5–2, the Tigers responded with a 10–0 run that included seven points from Hicke to go up 12–5. With 7:28 remaining in the first half, an and-one by junior captain and forward Jacob Huggins put Princeton up 22–11. However, the hosts quickly responded, going on an 11–0 run to tie the game and holding Princeton scoreless for over four minutes.

At halftime, the Ramblers held a 30–28 lead. Turnovers were even at four apiece, but Loyola Chicago had capitalized, producing eight points off turnovers in the first half compared with zero for Princeton.

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Coming out of the locker room, the game turned into a back-and-forth battle. With 7:12 remaining, the Tigers and Ramblers were tied at 53, and neither side had led by more than three points through the first 13 minutes of the second half.

Following the media timeout, the Ramblers scored a tip-in off a missed free throw to take a 55–53 lead. On the ensuing possession, Loyola Chicago guard Justin Moore stole the ball from Hicke and scored in transition to extend the lead to four. Moore ended the night with a game-high 21 points.

The Ramblers continued scoring and denying the Tigers on the other end, taking a 62–53 lead after an 11–0 run. Despite several late pushes, the Tigers couldn’t trim the deficit to fewer than five, and the hosts held on for a 73–68 win.

“Our main focus is really working on this last eight minute stretch … because we’re getting to the point where we’re really in these games, but kind of giving it away. So I think if we can start to learn how to win games when it matters, I think that’s gonna really help us in Ivy play,” Hicke said.

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Hicke had paced the Tigers in the first half with 13 points, but didn’t score in the second half after struggling with foul trouble.

The Ramblers led in several key statistics, outscoring the Tigers 36–24 in the paint, 15–10 on second-chance opportunities, 8–0 in transition, 10–6 off turnovers, and 16–15 in bench production. The hosts also shot 50 percent from the field compared to 35.4 percent for Princeton.

Head Coach Mitch Henderson ’98 did not respond to repeated requests for comment in time for publication.

The Tigers now sit in the bottom quarter of teams nationwide, checking in at No. 288 in the latest NCAA NET rankings. Despite being selected as the No. 4 team in the Ivy League in the preseason media poll, Princeton now has the lowest net ranking among the Ancient Eight.

“It has been a next game mentality and trying to get better everyday,” Stanton wrote. “I don’t think our record really reflects how we are as a team. If you look at our progression from the first game of the year to now we have made some huge improvements, but our ceiling is still very high.”

Princeton will begin Ivy League play in under a month. Until then, the Tigers have three remaining non-conference games, with the next one coming Wednesday evening at home against Merrimack (5–6, 2–0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). The Warriors are led by guards Ernest Shelton and Kevair Kennedy, who are both averaging 14.8 points per game.

Hicke noted that “it’s been tough,” but the team has taken a positive outlook as playing time has increased for its underclass students.

“Ivy League play is what we’re really focused on, and that’s really what matters,” Hicke said. “This really could benefit us down the line. Our main objective is just to make sure we’re ready for Ivy play, make sure those two guys are healthy, really ready to go when we get to it.”

Hayk Yengibaryan is a head News editor, senior Sports writer, and education director for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Glendale, Calif. and typically covers breaking news and profiles. He can be reached at hy5161[at]princeton.edu.

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