Loyola (Chicago) rebounded from a loss at Michigan State to take down struggling Mississippi State 59-51. The Ramblers know their best chance at winning lies in their slow half court offense because a shoot out is not favorable. That plan worked to perfection against the Bulldogs who hit at 37.5% and 5-17 on threes in contrast to LCU who sank shots at a 41.2% clip while going 8-18 from distance. Slightly better shooting made the difference with Devon Turk pouring in a game high 21 points with Christian Thomas adding 16 points and grabbing six rebounds. Overall, seven players found the scoring column and eight saw at least 16 minutes.

The season began well enough for Saint Peter's who jumped out to a 3-0 record before going 2-5 entering Saturday's game with Loyola (Chicago). One of those wins came Wednesday in an 80-67 victory Long Island to easily set a season high in points. The Peacocks burned the nets at 54.7% and were 5-11 from distance with the Blackbirds struggling to 40% and 7-18 on threes. Better shooting was the difference with the remainder of the box score even with Desi Washington going off for a game best 28 points on 9-15 shooting, followed by Yvon Raymond and Blaise Ffrench with 14 and 12 points respectively with the latter grabbing five boards.

Saint Peter's can be a tough nut to crack if they control the tempo but in this case Loyola (Chicago) won't mind because a snail's pace suits the fine. I'm siding with the visiting snails who have played well...