Monday, November 2
Chicago, Ill. / Gentile Arena
8:00 PM
The Citadel
0-1,0-0SoCon
52
at
77
Loyola Chicago
1-0,0-0Atlantic 10
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Citadel | 27 | 25 | 52 |
| Loyola Chicago | 36 | 41 | 77 |
11/2/2026 10:25:00 PM | Basketball
CHICAGO, Ill. -- The Citadel basketball (0-1, 0-0 SoCon) opened the team's 2026-27 season Monday evening with a 77-52 loss to Loyola Chicago (1-0, 0-0 A-10) at Gentile Arena.
Joe Hurlburt led The Citadel with 11 points and seven rebounds in his Bulldog debut, shooting 4-of-5 from the field and 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Chicago natives Marcos Gonzales and Keynan Davis each finished with 10 points in their hometown return. Gonzales added a team-high four assists, while Davis collected four rebounds.
Eddrin Bronson contributed eight points, while Tyler Mrus added six points on a pair of 3-pointers.
Dayan Nessah led Loyola Chicago with 19 points and nine rebounds. Christian Jeffrey added 14 points, while Jason Schofield recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Guillaume Grotzinger finished with 10 points and 11 assists.
The Ramblers opened the contest with 12 unanswered points before Gonzales put the Bulldogs on the board with a layup at the 10:39 mark. Hurlburt followed with The Citadel's first 3-pointer of the season, cutting the deficit to seven.
Loyola extended its lead to 25-9 with 6:33 remaining in the first half before The Citadel began to close the gap. Gonzales converted a three-point play, Chase Cormier knocked down a 3-pointer and Davis added three free throws to help cut the deficit to 11.
Hurlburt scored five of The Citadel's final seven points of the half, connecting on a 3-pointer with 2:34 remaining and a fast-break layup at the 1:21 mark. He also assisted on a Bronson layup as the Bulldogs entered halftime trailing 36-27.
Bronson opened the second half with a corner 3-pointer just 20 seconds after the break. Gonzales followed with a triple to cut Loyola's advantage to 39-33 with 18:49 remaining.
The Ramblers responded with 11 unanswered points to extend their lead to 50-33 before Mrus knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to bring the Bulldogs within 13. Hurlburt later connected on his third triple of the night to cut the deficit to 54-42 with 11:22 remaining.
Loyola maintained its lead throughout the closing minutes to secure the victory. The Ramblers finished with 22 offensive rebounds and held a 43-26 rebounding advantage.
"I knew it was going to be a rock fight. I knew it was going to be a physical, tough game," head coach Ed Conroy said. "We just got beat up on the boards in the second half. We knew about the physicality and the rebounding coming in, but they took it to us. We have to be physically tougher in the second half and know what kind of game we're in for."
"We have to continue to evolve and mature as a team," Conroy added. "Defensively, we did what we needed to do at times, but we've got to clear the board."
The Citadel returns to McAlister Field House for the program's 2026-27 home opener Friday, Nov. 6, against Erskine. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
For complete coverage of The Citadel basketball program, follow The Citadel on X and Instagram @CitadelHoops and online at CitadelSports.com.
Joe Hurlburt led The Citadel with 11 points and seven rebounds in his Bulldog debut, shooting 4-of-5 from the field and 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Chicago natives Marcos Gonzales and Keynan Davis each finished with 10 points in their hometown return. Gonzales added a team-high four assists, while Davis collected four rebounds.
Eddrin Bronson contributed eight points, while Tyler Mrus added six points on a pair of 3-pointers.
Dayan Nessah led Loyola Chicago with 19 points and nine rebounds. Christian Jeffrey added 14 points, while Jason Schofield recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Guillaume Grotzinger finished with 10 points and 11 assists.
The Ramblers opened the contest with 12 unanswered points before Gonzales put the Bulldogs on the board with a layup at the 10:39 mark. Hurlburt followed with The Citadel's first 3-pointer of the season, cutting the deficit to seven.
Loyola extended its lead to 25-9 with 6:33 remaining in the first half before The Citadel began to close the gap. Gonzales converted a three-point play, Chase Cormier knocked down a 3-pointer and Davis added three free throws to help cut the deficit to 11.
Hurlburt scored five of The Citadel's final seven points of the half, connecting on a 3-pointer with 2:34 remaining and a fast-break layup at the 1:21 mark. He also assisted on a Bronson layup as the Bulldogs entered halftime trailing 36-27.
Bronson opened the second half with a corner 3-pointer just 20 seconds after the break. Gonzales followed with a triple to cut Loyola's advantage to 39-33 with 18:49 remaining.
The Ramblers responded with 11 unanswered points to extend their lead to 50-33 before Mrus knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to bring the Bulldogs within 13. Hurlburt later connected on his third triple of the night to cut the deficit to 54-42 with 11:22 remaining.
Loyola maintained its lead throughout the closing minutes to secure the victory. The Ramblers finished with 22 offensive rebounds and held a 43-26 rebounding advantage.
"I knew it was going to be a rock fight. I knew it was going to be a physical, tough game," head coach Ed Conroy said. "We just got beat up on the boards in the second half. We knew about the physicality and the rebounding coming in, but they took it to us. We have to be physically tougher in the second half and know what kind of game we're in for."
"We have to continue to evolve and mature as a team," Conroy added. "Defensively, we did what we needed to do at times, but we've got to clear the board."
The Citadel returns to McAlister Field House for the program's 2026-27 home opener Friday, Nov. 6, against Erskine. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐝 🚫 Ramel Bethea records our first block of the season! 🔹#𝑻𝑶𝑮𝑬𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹𝐖𝐞𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤🔹 https://t.co/8K9g5pTuvL
— The Citadel Basketball (@CitadelHoops) November 3, 2026
𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐲, 𝐉𝐨𝐞! 🎯 Joe Hurlburt knocks down the triple! 🔹#𝑻𝑶𝑮𝑬𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹𝐖𝐞𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤🔹 https://t.co/XAX1yFEXN7
— The Citadel Basketball (@CitadelHoops) November 3, 2026
𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐤𝐢𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞! 💪 Marcos Gonzales finishes through contact for the bucket! 🔹#𝑻𝑶𝑮𝑬𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹𝐖𝐞𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤🔹 https://t.co/oRgVKcm9pZ
— The Citadel Basketball (@CitadelHoops) November 3, 2026
4⃣ 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧! 👀 Hurlburt delivers a great pass to Eddrin Bronson for the bucket🪙 🔹#𝑻𝑶𝑮𝑬𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹𝐖𝐞𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤🔹 https://t.co/XpPSl8yRAH
— The Citadel Basketball (@CitadelHoops) November 3, 2026
𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭! 💰 Eddrin Bronson opens the second half with a three! 🔹#𝑻𝑶𝑮𝑬𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹𝐖𝐞𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤🔹 https://t.co/eMoRPgyUx9
— The Citadel Basketball (@CitadelHoops) November 3, 2026
𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩🎯 Gonzales knocks down the long trey! 🔹#𝑻𝑶𝑮𝑬𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹𝐖𝐞𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤🔹 https://t.co/bszEMOf0EH
— The Citadel Basketball (@CitadelHoops) November 3, 2026
For complete coverage of The Citadel basketball program, follow The Citadel on X and Instagram @CitadelHoops and online at CitadelSports.com.
🔹#𝑻𝑶𝑮𝑬𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹𝐖𝐞𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤🔹
Players Mentioned
F
/ Basketball
G
/ Basketball
G
/ Basketball
G
/ Basketball
G
/ Basketball
F/C
/ Basketball
F
/ BasketballTeam Stats
Cit
Loyola
FG%
.340
.456
3FG%
.321
.276
FT%
.688
.538
RB
26
43
TO
19
10
STL
3
9
Game Leaders
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
7
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
1
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