Cameron Krutwig and Braden Norris each scored 20 points to lead the Ramblers
ST. LOUIS — Cameron Krutwig and Braden Norris scored 20 points apiece to lead No.20 Loyola to a 75-65 win over Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference championship game Sunday for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Ramblers (24-4,16-2) will be making their seventh NCAAs appearance and first since the 2018 team reached the Final Four as a No.11 seed. Keith Clemons added 13 points for Loyola, which has won six in a row and 17 of its past 18. Tremell Murphy and D.J. Wilkins scored 20 points each for Drake (25-4,15-3), a bubble team. The Bulldogs were appearing in the MVC title game for the first time since they won the tournament in 2008. Joseph Yesufu added 12 points. Krutwig, the MVC Player of the Year, had eight rebounds. He sent Loyola on a 7-0 run with a hook shot from the lane that broke a 24-all tie. “We wanted to be physical without fouling,” Krutwig said. “We were all over the court.” Krutwig was a member of that 2018 team that gained nationwide attention with its improbable run to the Final Four. He feels as if it could happen again. “It makes you hungry and want to get back there,” Krutwig said.
