Quick Hits About The Hounds
- Loyola University Maryland plays its second-straight home game on Wednesday, January 16, when it hosts Boston University in a 7 p.m. contest at Reitz Arena.
- The Greyhounds held Army West Point to 38.1 percent from the field Saturday, a big drop after their previous six opponents shot 55.4 percent.
- KaVaughn Scott scored a career-high 21 points at Lafayette, eclipsing his previous best by seven.
- After shooting 38.8 percent from the field in non-conference games, Isaiah Hart has made 22 of 40 (55 percent) in the Greyhounds' first four Patriot League games. He scored what was a season-high 17 against Holy Cross before topping that three days later with 21 at Lehigh on Sunday. The sophomore has scored 10 or more points seven times in Loyola's last 10. Since December 1, Hart has averaged 12.3 points per game, and he is shooting 51.4 percent.
- Andrew Kostecka has averaged 21.6 points over Loyola's last 13 games, shooting 46.3 percent from 3-point range and 52.5 percent from the field in that stretch. Kostecka has seven games with 23 or more points in those games.
- Tavaras Hardy is in his first season as head coach of the Greyhounds. He was named the 21st head coach in Loyola men's basketball history on March 28.
Series History Versus Boston University
- Loyola and Boston U. will meet for the 14th time in eight years and 15th overall when they take the hardwood on Wednesday night. The Greyhounds won games in 2012 and 2013, but the Terriers are 8-4 against Loyola since both teams joined the Patriot League in 2013-2014. Boston U. now leads the all-time series, 9-5.
- In the team's last meeting on January 30, 2018, in Boston, Loyola pulled within five points on two Sam Norton free throws with 4:35 left in regulation, but Boston University held the Greyhounds without a point until Chuck Champion scored in the paint, and Terriers came away with a 64-55 Patriot League victory.
- Norton, who tied his career-high with nine points, made two free throws to get Loyola within five, 53-48, and the Greyhounds had the ball after the Terriers missed the front-end of one-and-one at the free throw line. A skip pass sailed wide, however, and Loyola turned the ball back over.
- The Greyhounds' defense, however, kept Boston University off the scoreboard for more than three minutes. The Terriers final broke through when Max Mahoney scored at 1:39, and Javante McCoy added a 3-pointer with less than a minute to go. Champion scored in the paint with 47 ticks left, but the Terriers held on for the win.
- Andre Walker had team-highs of 15 points and eight rebounds for Loyola, while Champion chipped in 12 points.
- Boston University jumped out to an early seven-point lead in the game's first three minutes, but Loyola came back to tie the score at 14-14 on a Norton 19-foot jumper with 11:57 left in the half. Mahoney, who had a game-high 27 points, dunked to put Boston University ahead by five, 2:30 later, but a Champion three and Walker pull-up jumper at 7:40 tied the score at 19-19. Two Tyler Scanlon free throws with just over two seconds left in the first half gave the Terriers a 33-29 lead at the break.
Last Time Out
- Loyola held the visiting Army West Point to 38.1 percent from the field and a season-low-tying six 3-pointers on Saturday, and four players scored in double figures as the Greyhounds posted a 66-64 Patriot League victory in Reitz Arena.
- Loyola built an 11-point halftime lead, 39-28, holding Army West Point to 10 of 28 from the field (35.7 percent) before the break.
- A Matt Wilson basket for Army West Point with 5:34 to go in the first half pulled the Black Knights within a point, 27-26, but Loyola reeled off the next 12 points, the final four coming on a pair of Chuck Champion baskets. Wilson's layup was Army West Point's final field goal of the first half, and his two free throws with just over 15 seconds left in the frame were its only points after the basket.
- KaVaughn Scott scored in the paint for Loyola 1:35 into the second, giving Loyola a 13-point lead, its largest of the game before Army West Point scored the next five points to get within eight on a Jordan Fox three at 17:24. The Greyhounds pushed the lead to 10 or more six times over the next nine minutes, the last time coming on a Scott layup with 8:28 to go in regulation.
- After that, Army scored nine in a row, capped by a Tucker Blackwell three in transition after a Fox steal. That drew the Black Knights within a point, 54-53, with 4:39 on the clock. The teams traded missed baskets on their next two possessions before Isaiah Hart knocked down a 15-foot jumper in the lane to push the lead back to three.
- Blackwell, however, got behind the Loyola defense and scored off a long Tommy Funk pass seven seconds later, and it was a one-point game again. Hart would have the next four points for Loyola, hitting two free throws at 2:49 and scoring on a fast-break after a Champion steal and outlet pass with 2:24 left. That layup gave Loyola a 60-55 lead with 2:24 to play, but Fox converted two free throws at 2:06 for Army West Point. The Greyhounds worked the ball around the perimeter on their next trip down the court, and Champion threw a bounce pass to Andrew Kostecka who was cutting to the basket, and he finished with a two-handed dunk at 1:49.
- Fox committed an offensive foul on Army West Point's possession, but Loyola could not score on offense. Lonnie Grayson then tallied a driving layup with 63 ticks on the clock, closing the gap to three.
- With the margin at 62-59 in Loyola's favor, Jacob Kessler had a steal for the Black Knights, and he sent an outlet pass to Josh Caldwell well in front of the Greyhounds' defense. Kostecka raced back and blocked the Caldwell layup against the glass, and Hart corralled the rebound for the Greyhounds. He was fouled and made two free throws with 33 seconds left to put the lead to five. After a missed Fox three for the Black Knights, Champion converted one of two at the line. Fox then scored in the paint with 17 seconds left, and it was Hart's turn to go back to the line. He made the front-end of two to put the lead at 66-61, and all Army West Point could get on the next possession was a desperation three from Grayson at the buzzer.
- Champion and Hart each scored 15 points to lead all players, while Kostecka was right behind with 14 points. Kostecka had a season-high five steals, and Champion tallied four assists, two blocked shots and two steals. Scott added 10 points and team-high seven rebounds.
Flipping The Script
- Loyola snapped a six-game skid with its victory over Army West Point on Saturday, and it did so with its best defensive effort of the season.
- The Greyhounds held the Black Knights to 38.1 percent from the field, more than 17 points lower than opponents shot (55.4 percent) in those six losses. Loyola's 64 points allowed were 26 fewer than the 90.3 it gave up in the six games.
- A big part of the improved defense came from holding Army West Point to 6 of 20 from 3-point range (30.0 percent). The six teams prior made 55 of 114 from behind the arc (48.2 percent).
Statistical Differences
- Loyola's five wins and 12 losses can be seen in statistical differences. The Greyhounds have held opponents to 35.4 percent from the field, 23.4 from 3-point range in their wins; meanwhile, foes are shooting 52.8 percent overall and 47.6 from behind the arc in Loyola's losses.
- The Greyhounds have held opponents to 65 or fewer points in each of its victories.
Career Night For KaVaughn
- KaVaughn Scott established himself as a scoring presence early in Thursday night's game, scoring eight points in the first six minutes, 10 in the opening eight against Lafayette. He continued his output in the second half, finishing with a career-high 21 points.
- Scott's 21 were seven more than his previous best of 14, a total he scored earlier this year against Dartmouth College and during his 2016-17 freshman campaign against Millersville University.
- Scott also had career-highs of nine field goals made and 15 attempted. His eight rebounds against the Leopards are tied for his second-best total of this season.
Kostecka In The Last 13
- Andrew Kostecka has logged career-high scoring numbers three times in the Greyhounds' last 13 games, recording seven games with 23 or more points and two with 30 or better. He has scored 13 or more in all but one of those games and has had 18 or more in all but two.
- Over the course of the last 13, Kostecka 21.6 points to go with 5.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He has shot 52.5 percent from the field during those games 46.3 from 3-point range.
- Kostecka opened the stretch with a 23-point outing at the University of Detroit Mercy on November 19, topping his previous high of 22 points from 2017. He then poured in 30 points on November 25 at Towson University before going 12 of 12 from the free-throw line in scoring 29 on December 1 against Mount St. Mary's University.
- He upped his career-high by one at Drexel University, making a career-high 12 field goals in scoring 31 against the Dragons. He had his fifth outing with 23 or more, hitting that number at UMass Lowell and added a sixth with 27 on December 28 at then-No. 20 North Carolina State.
- Kostecka did not score for nearly 15 minutes in the Patriot League opener against Holy Cross, but he tallied 24 points in the second half and 29 in the game. He then had 18 at Lehigh.
- Part of his increased scoring has come from better 3-point shooting. Kostecka missed his first 10 attempts of the season from behind the arc before making one against Temple University in the second half on November 16. Including that made shot, he is 26 of 57 since, and including, that bucket.
- Kostecka leads the Patriot League in scoring this year with 19.6 points per game, and his 4.9 rebounds are 17th, third-most among guards. His points per game rank 42nd, and his 334 total points this year rank 40th in all of NCAA Division I.
Points From The Point
- After battling through a rough start to the season in which he averaged 3.0 points over the Greyhounds' first five contests, Isaiah Hart has rebounded to average 11.1 in Loyola's last 12 games. During that stretch he is the team's third-leading scorer behind Kostecka and Champion.
- Hart has shot 51.1 percent from the field over the Greyhounds' last 12 games, a mark buoyed by shooting 62.1 percent from the field in the Greyhounds first three Patriot League games. In those first two outings, he has his two highest scoring outputs of the year with 21 at Lehigh after tallying 17 against Holy Cross.
- Hart converted six of his nine shot attempts in the Patriot League opener against Holy Cross and finished with 17 points, a season-high. He then made eight of 12 against the Mountain Hawks. He also had four assists and three steals at Lehigh.
Scholarship For Sam
- After joining the team and playing as a walk-on for the last three years, Sam Norton was awarded a scholarship for his senior season.
- Norton saw increased playing time as a junior, playing in 26 games and starting 10 while averaging 2.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per game.
- He had his best statistical game of 2018-2019 in the Patriot League opener against Holy Cross, scoring seven points to go with seven rebounds – both season-highs – to go with two assists and two steals. He was the Greyhounds' best plus-minus player in the game as Loyola outscored Holy Cross by nine during his 25 minutes of action. The game garnered Norton his first start of the 2019 season at Lehigh.
Champion Doubles Up
- Chuck Champion had his first career double-double November 11 against Dartmouth, scoring 17 points while leading all players with a career-best 11 rebounds.
- The junior guard scored 12 in the first half, including 10 in the final 10 minutes of the stanza. He finished 7 of 12 from the field. In two games (2018 and 2019) against Dartmouth, Champion has averaged 21.5 points against the Big Green. His previous career-high in rebounds was nine against Navy last season. The junior guard scored 17 again, just over a week later, in a win over Hampton, tallying 15 of his points in the second half.
- This season, Champion is second on the Greyhounds with 12.8 points and first with 31.9 minutes. He has scored 10 or more points in all but two of Loyola's games.
Getting To The Stripe
- Loyola has been adept at getting to the free-throw line through the first 17 games of the season. The Greyhounds have gone to the stripe 344 times, making 247, and rank second in the Patriot League in both categories.
- Andrew Kostecka mad all 12 of his free-throw attempts against Mount St. Mary's, the fifth-most in school history without a miss. He is 36th in the nation, and first in the conference, with 86 free-throws made this year.
Building An Inside Presence
- A year after averaging 15.2 minutes in 26 games (two starts), sophomore post Brent Holcombe has seen considerably more action through the first eight games this year. He has raised his scoring average from 4.8 last year to 11.0 this season, and his rebounds per game from 3.8 to a team-best 6.0.
- Holcombe has scored seven or more in all but one game this season and is shooting 54.6 percent from the field.
- Holcombe played his best basketball of his 2017-2018 in Loyola's last four games of his freshman season, averaging 11.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in contests against Lehigh, Navy, Army West Point and Bucknell.
- He scored a then-career-high 18 points on at Navy, knocking down 8 of 15 shots in the regular-season finale, both career highs. The 18 points eclipsed his previous-best of 17 points earlier in February against American.
- In the Patriot League Championships First Round against Army West Point, Holcombe scored eight points, including two free throws with under 25 seconds left. He had his second double-digit rebounding effort of the year with 10.
- He followed that with a his first career double-double, a 12-point, 10-rebound outing against eventual Patriot League champion Bucknell University in the quarterfinal round.
Freshmen Earning More Run
- Kenneth Jones and Jaylin Andrews have been the most consistent members of Loyola's freshmen class in terms of minutes played this season. Jones has scored 5.9 points per game in an average of 18.9 minutes, while Andrews has seen 15.2 minutes per game and averaged 3.5 points.
- Andrews made his first collegiate start against Army West Point and scored six points to go with four rebounds. Earlier in the year, he scored a to-date career-high nine points, all in the first half, at Binghamton. Jones tallied a career-best with 12 points at UMass Lowell, making five of nine shots from the field.
- Jones has found his range from 3-point distance with a 43.2 percent mark from behind the arc, making 19 of 44 attempts. He is also second on the team with 35 assists this year.
Up Next
- Loyola starts a two-game road trip on Saturday, January 19, when it heads to Worcester, Mass., for a 12 noon game at College of the Holy Cross.
Patriot League Network
- All of Loyola University Maryland non-televised home men's basketball games will air live on the Patriot League Network for the sixth season.
