Loyola’s men’s basketball team had a tough start in the Atlantic 10 Conference, losing their opener to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) with a final score of 84-65 at Gentile Arena.

The Ramblers started strong, holding a three-point lead at halftime, but their momentum fizzled in the second half, where they managed only 25 points. Des Watson led Loyola with 20 points, while Jayden Dawson contributed 10 points. Jalen DeLoach added a solid performance with eight points and eight rebounds. Despite their efforts, the team couldn’t keep up with VCU’s offensive firepower.

VCU’s Phillip Russell was unstoppable, scoring 25 points to lead his team to victory. Christian Fermin added 14 points, and Jack Clark chipped in with 12, helping the Rams improve to an 11-4 overall record and 1-1 in conference play.

Meanwhile, DePaul’s struggles in the Big East continued as they suffered another loss, this time against Villanova in a lopsided game. Villanova dominated from start to finish, cruising to a comfortable win and keeping DePaul winless in conference play. The Wildcats were led by Eric Dixon, who scored an impressive 25 points. Jordan Longino added 19 points, and Wooga Poplar contributed 17.

DePaul’s offense had a rough night, shooting just 20-for-60 from the field and an ice-cold 7-for-27 (25.9%) from beyond the arc. Jacob Meyer led the Blue Demons with 13 points, while Isaiah Rivera and Layden Blocker came off the bench to score 11 and 10 points, respectively. DePaul trailed by 16 points at halftime (48-32) and managed only 24 points in the second half, falling to a 9-6 overall record and 0-4 in Big East play.

Both Loyola and DePaul will need to regroup quickly as they look to turn things around in their respective conferences.