CBI 2015: Championship Game 1 Score, Twitter Reaction for UL Monroe vs. Loyola

Loyola (Chicago) capitalized on home-court advantage in Game 1 of a best-of-three series with UL Monroe to decide the 2015 CBI title, overcoming a two-point halftime deficit to win 65-58.

The Joseph J. Gentile Center in the Windy City created a favorable environment for a Ramblers rally. With how hot Loyola got from the field in shooting 50.9 percent as a team, Monroe was little match for the favored hosts.

ESPN's Mark Adams highlighted how the presence of guard Milton Doyle has provided Loyola with valuable leadership:

"

Loyolar wins game one of CBI best of three! Earl Peterson with 16. @RamblersMBB 18-6 with Doyle. These dudes dangerous! Sister Jean Rocks!

— Mark Adams (@EnthusiAdams) March 31, 2015"

Although Doyle scored just six points and missed seven of 10 shots, he had five rebounds, two assists and two steals to keep the Warhawks defense distracted when he was on the court. That opened up opportunities for other teammates to get in on the action.

Four of five Ramblers starters scored in double figures, led by junior guard Earl Peterson with a game-high 16.

Christian Thomas canned six of his seven shots to score 12, while Devon Turk chipped in 10 and Montel James had 11, including a monstrous dunk in the beginning of the second half to give his side momentum.

The alumni of the victorious team made sure to capture one of Thomas' buckets as part of the Ramblers' second-half surge:

Loyola's official Twitter page highlighted just how scalding the Ramblers were from the field in promptly erasing a 26-24 hole after 20 minutes of action:

But precision beyond the arc allowed the Warhawks to remain close down the stretch, cutting the lead to as little as three in the second half on the strength of nailing eight of their first 20 shots from distance.

It just wasn't enough to ultimately overcome the Ramblers fans and how their players fed off the crowd's energy.

An off night from senior Warhawks forward Tylor Ongwae contributed to UL Monroe's travails. Ongwae had 12 points, 11 rebounds and six assists but did his scoring on a meager 3-of-19 shooting, including six misses from three-point range.

There's reason for UL Monroe to be optimistic despite falling short in this contest. The Warhawks host the next two games and should have their fans out in full force to at least stave off elimination and force a decisive Game 3.

If Ongwae can elevate his game and UL Monroe can fuel the crowd in its favor at home, there's reason to believe this CBI finale will be extended to a third game for all the marbles.