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Loyola Chicago Drains Buzzer Beater Shot in First Game Since Sister Jean Died

Coach Drew Valentine said Sister Jean was “with us” on Monday night.

Madison Williams

Loyola Chicago won their first game of the season on a buzzer beater, which also happened to be their first game since Sister Jean died.
Loyola Chicago won their first game of the season on a buzzer beater, which also happened to be their first game since Sister Jean died. / Quinn Harris-Imagn Images
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In Loyola Chicago’s first game of the 2025-26 season, which also happened to be their first game since their beloved chaplain Sister Jean died, something miraculous happened.

As time was expiring in the Monday night game vs. Cleveland State, the two teams were tied at 88 each with 2.6 seconds to go. An inbounded pass went to Deywilk Tavarez, who made a three-pointer at the buzzer. The Ramblers won the contest at home, sparking excitement in the program that has been cast with a dark cloud since Sister Jean died on Oct. 10 at the age of 106.

Loyola won the game in Sister Jean’s honor, that’s for sure. And, the team could feel her presence in the arena.

"It's definitely not the same, but we know she was with us tonight," coach Drew Valentine said after the game, via ESPN. "Not seeing Sister Jean there when walking off the court, it's definitely something that's going to take time to get used to because I'd grown so accustomed to having those 20-, 30-second conversations with her.

"Sister Jean," he continued. "She had to be praying for those shots to go in at the end."

The team is sporting patches on their jersey of Sister Jean all season, so it was like she was with the team on Monday night. It was very fitting that their season would open up in this incredible way.

Before her death, Sister Jean worked with the university for 60 years, and most recently worked as the chaplain to the men’s basketball team. Her stardom rose in 2018 when the Ramblers were the Cinderella story of the NCAA tournament, reaching the Final Four with their No. 1 fan in the stands of every game wearing her maroon and gold.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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