CHICAGO – Christian Thomas and Milton Doyle each scored 21 points Monday night and Loyola of Chicago beat Division II McKendree 78-68.
Joe Crisman scored 10 points and the Ramblers (2-0) outshot the Bearcats 60.4 percent (32 of 53) to 52.7 percent (29 of 55) from the field.
Doyle, the Ramblers' top-scorer last season, hit 10 of 12 field goal attempts and grabbed eight rebounds, but the Ramblers were outrebounded 28-23.
Matt Holmes scored 14 for McKendree (1-1), Brandon Book 13, Logan Carson 12, and Chad McDowell came off the bench to score 10.
The Ramblers never trailed and used a 13-2 run sparked by back-to-back layups by Montel James to pull to a 37-27 halftime lead.
James, a freshman, scored 19 points in the Ramblers' 71-58 win over Rockhurst last Friday.
The teams played even in the second half with the Bearcats unable to get closer than six.
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