PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — In a season defined by struggle, the Loyola Chicago Ramblers found a moment of resilience and reward Wednesday night. Led by a career-high 26 points from Joshua Ola-Joseph, the Ramblers overcame a halftime deficit to defeat the Richmond Spiders 75-67 in an Atlantic 10 Conference tournament first-round game at 84 Lumber Arena.

The victory, played before a crowd of 4,654, snapped a two-game skid for Loyola Chicago and advanced the 14th-seeded Ramblers to a second-round matchup against Davidson. It improved their record to 9-23, while the 11th-seeded Spiders ended their season at 15-17.

The most important part of the game was Loyola Chicago’s second-half defensive transformation. After trailing 38-32 at intermission and allowing Richmond to shoot effectively from the perimeter, the Ramblers tightened their defense significantly after the break. The Spiders, who managed 38 points in the first half, were held to just 29 in the second, their offense growing stagnant as Loyola Chicago controlled the pace and protected the paint.

Ola-Joseph, a 6-foot-7 junior from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, was the catalyst. After averaging just 4.3 points over his previous three games, he erupted for his best performance of the season, adding four assists in 32 minutes. His scoring was efficient and timely, often answering Richmond baskets to stifle any building momentum. He was supported by strong performances from Miles Rubin, who had 14 points, and Kayde Dotson, who added 16.

Richmond was led by Aiden Argabright’s 12 points and six assists. Will Johnston and Collin Tanner each contributed 10 points for the Spiders, who had defeated Loyola Chicago just 12 days earlier in Chicago. Mike Walz also added 10 points for Richmond.

The game began at a brisk offensive pace. Richmond’s Johnston opened the scoring with a 3-pointer just 13 seconds in, and the teams traded baskets early. The Spiders built their largest lead of the first half at 27-19 following a 3-pointer by Jaden Daughtry with 8:49 remaining. Loyola Chicago chipped away, closing the gap to six by halftime thanks to late 3-pointers from Dotson and Ola-Joseph.

The second half belonged to the Ramblers. They opened the period with an 11-5 run to tie the game at 43-43, fueled by interior baskets from Rubin and Ola-Joseph. After Richmond briefly regained a 51-45 advantage, Loyola Chicago mounted a decisive 12-2 surge. The run featured a dunk from Rubin, a 3-pointer from Ola-Joseph, and another dunk from Rubin, giving the Ramblers a 57-53 lead they would not relinquish.

Richmond drew within 65-63 on a jumper from AJ Lopez with 2:59 left, but Ola-Joseph responded immediately with a clutch 3-pointer on the next possession. The Spiders could get no closer than four points the rest of the way, as Loyola Chicago sealed the game at the free-throw line in the final minute.

Statistically, Loyola Chicago dominated inside, outscoring Richmond 22-16 in the paint. The Ramblers also won despite committing 15 turnovers that led to 15 Richmond points, and failing to score any fastbreak points. The Spiders had six fastbreak points but were ultimately undone by their cold second-half shooting.

The result defied the pregame expectations, as Richmond had been a 5.5-point favorite according to sportsbooks, and statistical models gave the Spiders a slight probability to win. The total score of 142 fell just under the over/under line of 143.

Loyola Chicago now looks ahead to a quick turnaround, facing sixth-seeded Davidson on Thursday in the tournament’s second round, again at 84 Lumber Arena.