SAN FRANCISCO — Loyola Chicago’s Jayden Dawson had a standout performance, scoring a personal best of 35 points in leading his team to a narrow 77-76 triumph over San Francisco in the NIT’s second round on Sunday night.
Despite being unseeded, the Ramblers (24-11) managed to eliminate the top-seeded Dons (25-10). They will now face the winner of the game between second-seeded Stanford and unseeded Kent State in the San Francisco Region quarterfinals.
Dawson was impressive, hitting 14 of his 27 field goal attempts, including 4 of 11 from beyond the arc, and making all three of his free throws for Loyola Chicago. Des Watson contributed 13 points and secured six rebounds.
San Francisco’s Malik Thomas led his team with 36 points, in addition to grabbing seven rebounds and delivering five assists. Carlton Linguard supported with 14 points and eight rebounds.
In the first half, Dawson’s 14 points helped Loyola Chicago to a 36-32 lead. His game-winning layup with just 56 seconds remaining marked the game’s final points. Earlier, Thomas had given the Dons a brief one-point lead with a 3-pointer at the 1:17 mark.