Loyola Chicago wins at buzzer in first game since Sister Jean's death: 'She's always on our minds'

CHICAGO – As Loyola Chicago and Cleveland State went through warm-ups before Monday’s season opener, one part of the routine was noticeably missing. The fans at Gentile Arena did not hear a pregame prayer.

It was the Ramblers’ first game without Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM, who passed away last month at age 106. The beloved team chaplain rose to prominence during the 2018 Final Four run and started every home game with a prayer.

It’s fitting that Monday’s opener, in a way, ended with one.

Deywilk Tavarez, who made his Loyola Chicago debut Monday after transferring from Charleston, drilled a three-pointer with 0.3 seconds remaining. That sent the Ramblers to a thrilling 91-88 victory over Cleveland State in a fast-paced game in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood.

Deywilk Tavarez. Onions.

Mercy. pic.twitter.com/cU6sZUWOZo

— Nick Schultz (@NickSchultz_7) November 4, 2025

Before tip-off, the arena held a moment of silence for Sister Jean, and a video tribute aired in the background. For the Ramblers program, there’s still an adjustment to live without its team chaplain.

“We all miss her,” said junior center Miles Rubin. “We wish she was still here. … We just think about her before every game and pray for her every game. She’s always on our minds.”

Sister Jean was a fixture on campus

Sister Jean arrived in Chicago in the 1960s at Mundelein College, located on the grounds of Loyola’s campus. She then joined Loyola Chicago after the two schools merged, and she became the men’s basketball team chaplain in 1994.

It wasn’t until 2018 that the world came to know about someone Ramblers adored for years. Sister Jean rose to national stardom – actually, “international,” as she famously corrected. Her press conference ahead of the Final Four drew a capacity crowd of reporters.

In the player movement era of college athletics, though, only a handful of Loyola Chicago players knew of the routine with Sister Jean from last year. But for coach Drew Valentine, who joined the program as an assistant in 2017 before replacing Porter Moser in 2021, one part felt different.

Sister Jean was a fixture at Loyola Chicago home games, sitting in the Gentile Arena tunnel and watching intently as the men’s basketball team played. As necessary, she also told anyone standing in her way to move so she could see all the action. Afterward, she’d wait for the fist bump from every player and coach.

Monday night, she wasn’t there.

“Not seeing Sister there walking off the court, it’s definitely something that’s going to take time to get used to,” Valentine said. “Because I had grown so accustomed to having those quick 20, 30-second conversations with her. It’s definitely not the same.”

‘She had to be praying for those shots to go in’

Sister Jean had a strong presence in Monday’s game, as she will all season. Loyola Chicago players are wearing a patch on their uniforms with her likeness. The staff wore one on their sleeves, as well, and Valentine said that will continue. The patch also sits atop Section 201 at Gentile Arena amid the Atlantic 10 Conference team logos.

But it was hard not to notice what unfolded in the final seconds Monday.

After Cleveland State brought things to a tie at the under-4 minute media timeout, the Vikings and Ramblers traded blows before CSU took an 86-84 lead. Valentine called timeout and Tavarez hit a quick three. He also drew a foul to eventually convert the four-point play and put Loyola Chicago back on top, 88-86.

Cleveland State didn’t go away quietly. Dayan Nessah drained a layup to bring it to a tie once again with 10 seconds left. With two ticks left Valentine then used his final timeout – and again, Tavarez rose to the occasion. He took the inbound pass from Justin Moore and found nothing but nylon.

Cleveland State’s final, three-quarter court fell short. The Ramblers won in memorable, and appropriate, fashion to start the season.

“We know that [Sister Jean] was with us tonight. … She had to be praying for those shots to go in at the end,” Valentine said.

Especially the last one, right?

“Exactly,” he said.