CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Clayton Custer scored 16 points and Loyola-Chicago beat Southern Illinois 75-56 on Wednesday night to clinch its first Missouri Valley Conference regular season title.
Loyola-Chicago (24-5, 14-3 Missouri Valley Conference) won its first conference crown since the 1984-85 squad collected the Midwestern Collegiate Conference title. The Ramblers, who have also won a program-best 14 conference games, conclude their regular season hosting Illinois State on Saturday.
Southern Illinois (19-11, 11-6) had its three-game win streak snapped but now has sole possession of second place over Drake (10-7), which lost to Illinois State (10-7).