TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Tyreke Key led all scorers with 19 points but a late surge by the host Sycamores fell just short in a 75-67 loss to Loyola Chicago in front of a sellout crowd of 10,200 at Hulman Center in Missouri Valley Conference action Saturday.

It was a special day on campus as the program hosted the #MarchWentMad Celebration -- honoring the 1979 Indiana State Basketball Team which reached the NCAA Division I Championship Game. Larry Bird and his teammates as well as head coach Bill Hodges returned to Terre Haute to remember the Sycamores' great 1979 run.
 
Indiana State (10-8, 2-4 Missouri Valley) never allowed Loyola to pull away and made nine of its last 10 shots in the game, but a red- (or maroon-) hot Rambler squad hit nine shots from 3-point range to prevent the Sycamore comeback from coming to fruition.
 
Loyola (12-7, 5-1) was led by the 16 points out of both Marques Townes and Cameron Krutwig, both of which ironically only hit one long-range shot between the two. But five other Ramblers combined to go 8 for 13 from beyond the arc. Krutwig posted a double-double, adding 10 rebounds in his effort.
 
Both teams were effective from the floor with Loyola shooting 53.2 percent to Indiana State's 50.0 percent. Key was an impressive 7-for-12 (58.3 percent) from the field and was only bested in the game by Krutwig's 7 of 11 performance (63.6 percent).
 
Trailing 36-30 at half, Key seemingly was unstoppable after intermission with 13 of his 19 points coming in the second half.
 
Indiana State was down by as much as 11 early in the second half but would continue to make runs to charge back into the game. A 6-0 run cut the Loyola lead to five and the Trees would eventually whittle the deficit down to 3, trailing 56-53 with 7:11 remaining but Loyola responded with a 3-pointer by Lucas Williamson, who scored 14 points for the Ramblers, to stop the Sycamore run.
 
Following the final media timeout of the game, a pair of missed Loyola shots and a Rambler turnover gave the Sycamores an opportunity to cut into the six-point deficit but the visiting Ramblers would turn a missed ISU shot into a quick dunk, pushing their lead back to eight. Following that point, the Ramblers would hit their final shot attempt and then convert all five free throw attempts in the final 43 seconds to remain in control, keeping the comeback out of reach.
 
Indiana State remains at home to host Valparaiso on Wednesday, Jan. 23, a team that shares the league lead with Loyola. Game time is set for 7 p.m. ET with ESPN3 and the Sycamore Radio Network broadcasting the action live from Hulman Center.