NEW YORK (Interstat) — In a game defined more by grit than grace, DeJour Reaves scored 24 points, including two critical free throws in the final minute, to lift Fordham to a 62-59 victory over Loyola Chicago in an Atlantic 10 Conference men’s basketball game Wednesday night at Rose Hill Gym.

A crowd of 1,212 watched the Rams grind out their third consecutive win, improving to 15-12 overall. The Ramblers, despite a spirited second-half rally, dropped their second straight and fell to 6-21.

The contest was a stark defensive struggle from the outset, with both teams struggling to find offensive rhythm. The Rams built a 33-21 halftime lead by capitalizing on Loyola Chicago’s early mistakes, scoring 17 points off 14 Rambler turnovers in the period. Fordham’s work on the offensive glass, where they held a 10-4 advantage for the game, provided crucial second chances.

Loyola Chicago emerged from the break a different team. Led by the interior duo of Xavier Amos and Miles Rubin, the Ramblers chipped away at the deficit. Amos, a Chicago native, finished with a team-high 19 points, while Rubin, also from Chicago, added 14 points, with 12 coming in the second half. A 9-0 Rambler run, capped by a Rubin hook shot with 7:58 remaining, gave Loyola Chicago its first lead since the opening minutes at 50-48.

The game devolved into a tense, possession-by-possession battle from there, featuring six lead changes and two ties over the final eight minutes. Neither team could find separation, with both shooting under 40% from the field for the game. Fordham finished at 39.2%, while Loyola Chicago hit just 40.4% of its attempts.

With the score tied at 59 and 27 seconds remaining, Reaves drew a foul on a drive to the basket. The sophomore guard from Syracuse, New York, calmly sank both free throws to put Fordham ahead for good. After a Loyola Chicago timeout, Kayde Dotson’s potential game-tying three-pointer from the wing missed with 16 seconds left.

Christian Henry secured the defensive rebound for Fordham and was fouled. He missed the first free throw but made the second, pushing the lead to 62-59 with 4.4 seconds on the clock. Loyola Chicago’s final attempt, a desperation three-quarter court heave by Dotson as time expired, was off target.

Reaves’ performance was the offensive constant for the Rams, who got nine points apiece from Akira Jacobs of Yokohama, Japan, and Abass Bodija of Brisbane, Australia. Henry added 10 points and four assists.

Beyond Amos and Rubin, Loyola Chicago received nine points from Dotson of Beaumont, Texas, and eight from Deywilk Tavarez of Pennsauken, New Jersey. Justin Moore of Philadelphia dished out a game-high six assists.

The most pivotal sequence of the game occurred in the final half-minute of regulation. After Reaves’ free throws gave Fordham a 61-59 lead, Loyola Chicago executed its final play for Dotson, its primary perimeter threat. Fordham’s defense, which held the Ramblers to 7-of-26 shooting from three-point range, closed out effectively, forcing a contested look that did not fall. Henry’s subsequent rebound and made free throw provided the final margin, sealing a win that was far from aesthetically pleasing but vital for the Rams’ late-season trajectory.

The game’s tempo and scoring were stifled by turnovers and physical defense. The teams combined for 27 turnovers and just 12 total assists. The combined point total of 121 fell well below the pregame over/under line of 137.5, though Fordham covered the spread as a 9-point favorite.

Fordham, which had a 70.3% win probability according to Interstat’s ELO system, will host Davidson on Saturday. Loyola Chicago travels to face Saint Joseph’s, also on Saturday.