After success in multiple tournaments and showcases, the Cubs began their play in the Mission League against the Alemany Warriors in their first home game in nearly two months.

Starting Lineup

PG: Jalen Cox, #3 (6’4”, Sr., G)

SG: Jonas de Krassel (6’4”, So., G)

SF: Owen Pentz, #23 (6’1”, Sr., F)

PF: Chase Toliver, #21 (6’4”, Sr., G/F)

C: Parker Jones, #30 (6’6”, Sr., F/C)

First Quarter

The Warriors get possession off the tip but immediately miss a three.  Parker Jones is fouled at the 7:21 mark but misses both free throws.  The Warriors drain a three with 6:52 remaining.  Jalen Cox’s outlet pass finds Jonas de Krassel, who drains a three of his own with 6:20 left.  Later, the roles are reversed, as de Krassel finds Cox for an easy layup with 5:40 remaining.  Chase Toliver blocks a corner three and de Krassel drains a triple from deep with five minutes left, contributing to an 8-0 Cub run.  After a scoring drought from both sides, the Warriors call timeout at the 3:24 mark.  Alemany makes both free throws with 3:10 remaining, but the Cubs still lead 8-5.  A lob to Jones winds up in a missed dunk with 2:40 left.  Cox gets a layup to fall ten seconds later.  A Toliver steal leads to another Cox layup with 2:19 remaining.  The Warriors get out of their slump with a three at the 2:04 mark.  Jones counters on the other end, burying a three with 1:51 left to make it a 15-8 Loyola lead.  Cox scores on a putback layup with 1:07 to go.  Toliver gets another steal at the 56-second mark, but Cox misses a shot even though he was fouled.  Jones drills a three with 13 seconds left, and another 8-0 run has the Cubs leading by 12 at the end of the quarter.

Score: 20-8 Loyola

Second Quarter

Owen Pentz makes a three with 7:28 remaining to begin the second quarter.  De Krassel is sent to the line with 6:54 to go; he makes one of two.  The Cubs lead 24-8.  The Warriors drill a three with 6:25 remaining.  Cox is fouled with 6:14 left and makes both free throws.  The Warriors are sent to the line at the 4:32 mark and make one of two.  De Krassel finds Toliver for the easy layup with 4:19 remaining, and the Cubs are up 28-12.  Jones blocks a three, misses another dunk, and Cox misses a putback layup with 3:30 left.  The Warriors make a jumper with three minutes left.  They are sent to the line with 2:26 remaining and make both free throws as the Cubs lead 28-16.  Pentz’s fadeaway jumper makes it a 30-16 ball game.  The Warriors get a putback layup to fall with 1:44 remaining.  Hugh Vandeweghe finds Josh Ferguson for the layup at the 1:30 mark.  Vandeweghe continues to pass the ball well, finding Pentz for a three with 23 seconds to go.  A Cub turnover leads to an Alemany layup with three seconds left, and the Cubs enter halftime up 15.

Score: 35-20 Loyola

Third Quarter

The Warriors get the ball to start the second half, but fail to score.  A Jones steal leads to a Cox layup with 7:09 remaining.  De Krassel drains another three with 6:35 left, but the Warriors answer with a two on the other end.  The lead is 40-22 Cubs.  Cox continues to get to the rim with ease, making another layup to give the Cubs a 20-point lead with 6:19 to go.  Toliver blocks a layup at the 5:50 mark, but the Cubs retain possession.  The Warriors call timeout immediately after.  Coming out of the timeout, Pentz gets a layup to fall, and the Cubs lead 44-22.  De Krassel misses a layup but gets his own rebound and lays it up and in with 4:53 remaining.  Jones makes one of two free throws with 4:13 to go, and the Cubs continue to dominate 47-22.  Sampson goes up and under for the layup with 3:45 remaining.  Jones gets a block but commits a foul in the process, and Alemany makes one of two with 3:33 to go.  Matthias Wagner is sent to the line with 3:17 remaining, where he makes one of two.  Cox finds a cutting Toliver for a layup with 2:40 to go.  A Cox triple makes it a 55-23 ball game with 2:22 remaining.  The Warriors drain a three with 2:05 to go.  Sampson passes it to Toliver, who drills a triple with 1:20 remaining.  The three-point barrage continues for the Cubs, as Cox buries another one with under a minute left.  Wagner misses a floater to end the period. 

Score: 61-25 Loyola

Fourth Quarter

The final frame begins with a Wagner jumper at the 7:23 mark.  The Warriors bury a three with 6:50 remaining.  Wagner finds Vandeweghe, who lays it up and in with 6:05 left.  At this point, the Cubs lead 65-28.  Sophomores Jonathan Chittick and Nico George, two JV call-ups, check into the game at the six-minute mark.  Chittick makes a layup with 5:42 remaining.  The Warriors make three straight layups, their third coming at the 3:10 mark.  George gets a layup to go with 2:53 remaining.  Chittick gets a putback layup to go with 1:41 remaining, and Alemany calls a timeout.  Joe Longo is fouled with 1:07 remaining, but misses both free throws.  A Chad Crisostomo crossover leads to another Chittick layup with 35 seconds remaining.  The Warriors make one of two free throws with 24 seconds left.  The Cubs dribble out the clock after sheer domination on both ends of the floor, earning their first Mission League win of the year.

FINAL: 75-38 Loyola

Postgame

Jalen Cox led the way with 20 points.  De Krassel had 12 points, and Pentz had 10 to round out the top three scorers.  My postgame interview with coach Powell can be found here.

The Next Game

The Cubs play the St. Francis Golden Knights at Leavey Gym on Monday, January 10 at 7:00 PM.