BC, Loyola Chicago meet in KC tourney consolation game

Loyola Chicago coach Drew Valentine isn't letting a hard-fought loss to a top-10 team make him question the faith he has in his group.

As a matter of fact, Valentine saw it as a sign of good things to come, and he hopes some of those positives will be on display when the Ramblers face Boston College on Thursday in the consolation game of the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Mo.

No. 8 Creighton blasted Loyola Chicago 88-65 on Wednesday, but the Ramblers led by five with 10:46 left in the first half and trailed by just eight at the break.

Things quickly slipped away for Loyola Chicago (2-3) in the second half, but Valentine still likes the path his team is on.

"We showed at times (Wednesday) just how competitive we will be this season," the coach said. "I think this group, as we continue to get guys back from injury, stay healthy and get our newcomers accustomed (to) playing mistake-free, has a high ceiling."

Like Valentine, Eagles coach Earl Grant isn't overly concerned about wins and losses at this point in the season.

Boston College (4-1) put together a season-opening, four-game winning streak before falling 86-74 to Colorado State on Wednesday. Quinten Post finished with 22 points and four rebounds, but it wasn't enough to keep the Eagles' undefeated season alive.

"Guys wanna come to practice, guys wanna put their uniform on, guys (are) excited about being here," Grant said after Boston College's 73-64 win over Harvard on Saturday. "I haven't really gotten caught up in the record. I like the spirit more than anything."

Post averages team highs in points (20 per game), rebounds (9.2 per game) and blocks (2.4 per game). Des Watson leads the Ramblers with 15.6 points per game. He scored 15 on Wednesday.

In the only previous meeting between the teams, Boston College beat Loyola 78-66 on Nov. 21, 2018, in the Fort Myers (Fla) Tip-Off.

—Field Level Media