NASSAU, Bahamas — Jacob Hutson put up a career-high 26 points and Loyola salvaged a win in the seventh-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas, pulling away in the second half to post a 77-59 win over Arizona State on Friday night.
The Ramblers lost their first two tournament games, falling to Michigan State and No. 19 Auburn.
Hutson hit 9 of 13 from the floor, knocking down all three of his 3-point attempts and converting 5 of 6 from the line. Ryan Schwieger added 11 points and the Ramblers knocked down 26 of 52 field-goal attempts, including 12 of 26 from beyond the arc.
Loyola (5-2) had a nine-point run that spanned halftime and held a 46-33 lead with 17:03 left. The Sun Devils battled back and trailed 51-44 after Enoch Boakye’s dunk midway through the second half but managed just two field goals over the next 7 1/2 minutes, and after an 8-0 run by the Ramblers the lead ballooned to 71-50 with 5:31 to play.
Arizona State (2-5) missed all five of its 3-point attempts in the second half and Loyola held a 33-24 advantage on the boards.
Jay Heath scored 16 points off the bench to lead Arizona State, the only team to lose all three games in the tournament.
Loyola opens Missouri Valley Conference play Dec. 1 when the Ramblers play host to Indiana State.
