What went down: No. 1 seed Loyola (28-5, 15-3) took on No. 3 seed Illinois State University (18-14, 10-8) in the championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) tournament Sunday afternoon. The Ramblers defeated the Redbirds 65-49 to advance to their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1985.
How it happened: The Loyola offense was clicking in the first half. The Ramblers shot 46.4 percent (13-for-28) from the field, including 50 percent (6-for-12) from beyond the three-point line, while holding the Redbirds’ offense to 32.4 percent (11-for-34) shooting to take a 36-27 lead into the break.