WASHINGTON – Fourth-seeded Loyola Chicago defeated No. 5 Saint Louis 72-64 Friday in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference Men's Basketball Championship at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

The Billikens move to 19-14 overall. Loyola Chicago (22-10) advances to face top-seed VCU on Saturday in the A-10 semifinals.

Isaiah Swope scored 30 points to lead Saint Louis, the most points ever by a Billiken in an A-10 Championship game. He was 11-of-22 from the field and 6-of-15 from 3-point range. 

Robbie Avila scored 12 points and finished with six rebounds. Kalu Anya was 4-of-5 from the floor for nine points. Dylan Warlick contributed 21 strong minutes and scored seven points. 

Des Watson scored 25 points to lead Loyola Chicago. Jayden Dawson (12 points) and Sheldon Edwards Jr. (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Ramblers.

It was back-and-forth at the start of the game before Loyola Chicago used a 9-0 run to build a lead it would not relinquish. The Ramblers led by as many 14 in the first half and settled for an eight-point advantage at halftime, 36-30.

The Billikens continued to battle and pulled to within a possession of the lead on several occasions. Swope scored 19 points in the second half, including back-to-back treys that pulled SLU to within two points at 57-55 with 7:53 left.

Avila scored five straight points to make it 63-60, but Loyola Chicago answered with a big 3-pointer at the 3:07 mark. The Ramblers hit their free throws down the stretch to post the eight-point win.