DETROIT – Loyola University Maryland jumped out to a 15-3 lead in the game's first eight minutes, and the Greyhounds led wire-to-wire during a 75-66 win over Hampton University in the GotPrint.com Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper.
 
Andrew Kostecka (18) and Chuck Champion (17) combined for 35 points to lead Loyola, while Isaiah Hart scored 11. Brent Holcombe finished with nine points to go with seven rebounds, matching Kostecka for team-high honors. Sam Norton had a career-high four steals.
 
Kostecka was named to the Legends Classic All-Tournament Team after scoring 43 points in the two games in the Motor City. He finished with a career-high 23 Monday night versus the University of Detroit Mercy.
 
After the Pirates (1-4 overall) tied the game at 3-3, Champion and Hart scored in the paint for Loyola (2-4), and James Fives knocked down a transition three from the left corner, pushing the advantage to seven. Brent Holcombe beat his defender with a shot-fake and drive for a dunk, and Kenneth Jones hit a three on the right wing, making it 15-3 Loyola with 12:36 to go in the first half.
 
Hampton twice got back within eight, but each time Loyola quickly pushed the lead back to double-digits. Nine Loyola players scored in the first half as the Greyhounds led by 10, 33-23, at halftime.
 
The Pirates opened the second half in a match-up zone, forcing a long Loyola 3-pointer that rimmed out, and then Hampton's leading scorer Jermaine Marrow went the length of the floor to score a layup. On the ensuing Loyola possession, Akim Mitchell was tagged with a foul, and he then picked up a technical that sent Kostecka to the line for two.
 
Kostecka made one of two at the free-throw line, but the Greyhounds got possession back after the second shot missed. Kostecka later tipped the ball in to stretch the advantage back to 11 for Loyola.
 
Over the next two minutes, Hampton got within seven, but after the second time it did so, Champion converted a 3-pointer for the Greyhounds. Minutes later, Jaylin Andrews made his first collegiate three for Loyola, and the Greyhounds led 46-33 with just over 13 minutes to play in regulation.
 
After a Brent Holcombe 17-foot jumper at 13:03, Hampton scored the next eight points with Devon Oakley's layup at 9:33 closing the gap to three, 50-47. Kostecka, however, made a three, and Champion grabbed an offensive rebound on the next possession to hit a 10-footer, pushing the lead back to eight.
 
The Pirates made another run, scoring the next six to close within a pair, 55-53, on a Marrow fast-break layup. He was called for a technical, however, after celebrating his bucket, and Kostecka made both free throws this time.
 
On the defensive end, Kostecka knocked the ball away from Kalin Fisher, and Sam Norton picked up the loose ball for the Greyhounds. He the fed Champion for a fast-break bucket, and Loyola was back up six. With 4:51 on the clock, Hart scored in transition to push the lead to 64-56.
 
Ben Stanley hit a pair of free throws for Hampton with 2:55 left, and it was a four-point Loyola lead, but Kostecka hit two free throws, and Champion scored in transition with 1:54 on the clock.
 
Loyola then made five of six free throws in the final 62 seconds to secure the win.
 
Marrow, who was averaging more than 25 points per game entering the contest, finished with 22 after scoring just three in the first half for Hampton.
 
The Greyhounds return to Baltimore for Thanksgiving Break and make a short trip Sunday, November 25, for a 6 p.m. game at Towson University.