CBI 2015: 1st-Round Tuesday Scores, Updated Bracket and Wednesday Schedule

The Rider Broncs hit the road to take on the Loyola Chicago Ramblers in Tuesday's first-round CBI game to kick off the eighth annual tournament.

In the only game on the day's schedule, Rider succumbed to a furious rally by the Ramblers as the hosts won, 62-59, at the Joseph J. Gentile Center in a most exciting start to the CBI postseason spectacle.

Before reading on for more on Tuesday's thriller and analysis on what lies ahead for the rest of the first round, check out Wednesday's schedule, which contains the rest of the initial games:

Matchup	Time (ET)
Vermont vs. Hofstra	7 p.m.
Stony Brook vs. Mercer	7 p.m.
Radford vs. Delaware State	8 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara vs. Oral Roberts	8 p.m.
Eastern Michigan vs. Louisiana-Monroe	8 p.m.
Gardner-Webb vs. Colorado	9 p.m.
Pepperdine vs. Seattle	10 p.m.

Loyola coach Porter Moser's squad benefited from the leadership of savvy floor general Milton Doyle, who took control of the game late.

The sophomore and local Chicago product would not be denied in willing his team to victory during the second half. Doyle got to the rim time and again and drew contract, leading all scorers with 22 points—11 of which came on 12 free-throw attempts.

MVC Basketball took pride in Doyle's epic finish:

Rider thrived early on the strength of a monster performance from sophomore forward Xavier Lundy. Averaging just 5.4 points per contest on the season, Lundy netted a team-high 19 to lead the Broncs' charge.

Lundy drained five three-pointers in the game and contributed to the squad's strong overall start from beyond the arc:

However, Rider Athletics alluded to how the flow of the game all went wrong for the visiting squad:

Doyle had been out with a torn labrum earlier in the season, which prevented the Ramblers from realizing their full potential. This was his opportunity to make up for lost time, and he did it in a big way by extending Loyola's season.

Junior Ramblers guard Devon Turk, who was the other Loyola player to score in double figures on Tuesday with 14 points, explained to the Chicago Tribune's Paul Skrbina earlier this month how Doyle's presence makes a difference.

"Three words: lead by example," said Turk of Doyle, per Skrbina. "His energy, his confidence. It's not so much talking with him but the stuff that he does. He proves what type of player he is, and other players follow him."

The absence of Rider's leading scorer and rebounder Matt Lopez, who tore his right ACL, was glaring. Sans Lopez, the team couldn't exact any advantage on the glass or stop Doyle from getting to the bucket without resorting to fouls.

The victors' official Twitter page highlighted what lies ahead:

"

The Ramblers will be on the road for the second round of the CBI. Loyola will travel to either Oral Roberts or UC Santa Barbara! #OnwardLU

— Loyola Ramblers MBB (@RamblersMBB) March 18, 2015"

Becoming the first participant to advance in the 2015 CBI has to give the Ramblers a sense of accomplishment, and they have a fair shot at advancing to the quarterfinals.

Among the two prospective opponents between UC Santa Barbara and Oral Roberts, Loyola ought to be hoping for the latter.

The Ramblers don't have a lot of size on the inside, which didn't get exposed versus Rider but could against Gauchos star Alan Williams, who averages 17.2 points and 11.9 rebounds. Williams is also a strong paint protector who could give Doyle problems when he attacks the lane.

Among the other games on tap, Stony Brook is a squad to watch as it travels to take on Mercer. The Seahorses lost in the America East Conference tournament final to Albany by one point after winning eight straight.

Headlined by double-double machine Jameel Warney down low, it will be interesting how Stony Brook, the No. 6 rebounding team in the nation, responds in the CBI after just missing the Big Dance.

Note: A full CBI bracket can be found here, courtesy of GazelleGroup.com.