Quick Hits About The Hounds
- Loyola University Maryland takes its two-game winning streak on the road for a pair of games, starting with a 12 noon contest on Saturday, January 19, contest at College of the Holy Cross.
- After the Greyhounds' six previous opponents shot 55.4 percent from the field, Loyola has held Army West Point and Boston University to 41.8 percent.
- After shooting 38.8 percent from the field in non-conference games, Isaiah Hart has made 25 of 48 (52.1 percent) in the Greyhounds' first five Patriot League games, and he is the team's second-leading scorer in conference games with 15.0 per game. The sophomore has scored 10 or more points eight times in Loyola's last 11. Since December 1, Hart has averaged 11.9 points per game, and he is shooting 50.5 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range.
- Andrew Kostecka has averaged 22.1 points over Loyola's last 14 games, shooting 46.4 percent from 3-point range and 53.3 percent from the field in that stretch. Kostecka has eight games with 23 or more points in those games.
- Kostecka is one of four players nationally to average 20 points and two steals per game; he is averaging 2.1 steals to lead the Patriot League. Duke's Zion Williamson, Louisiana Monroe's Daishon Smith and St. John's Shamorie Ponds are the other three.
Series History Versus Holy Cross
- Loyola and Holy Cross will meet for the 18th time in series history, and second time in 18 days, when the teams take the floor Saturday. The teams met three times in 2014-15 and 2015-16, including contests won by the Crusaders in the Patriot League Championships. Last year, the Crusaders won both regular-season meetings, and they took the January 3, 2019, meeting for an 11-6 series lead.
- Since 2013-14, Loyola's first year in the Patriot League, Holy Cross has an 9-4 advantage in the series, including two wins in Patriot League Championships play.
- Loyola shot better than 65 percent from the field over the game's final 23 minutes, but it was not enough to surpass Holy Cross, and the Crusaders scored an 80-73 victory in the teams' Patriot League opener on January 3 at Reitz Arena.
- Andrew Kostecka scored a game-high 29 points, and Isaiah Hart had a then-season-best 17 for the Greyhounds, while Jehyve Floyd recorded a double-double for Holy Cross, netting 20 points and 15 boards.
- The Crusaders built a 29-13 lead with 3:48 to go in the first half on an Austin Butler jumper as Loyola was shooting just over 29 percent from the field to that point. Chuck Champion had a steal and fast-break score at the buzzer, bringing Loyola within seven, 32-25, at the break. Loyola scored the first four points of the second half, the first two when Champion hit KaVaughn Scott for a dunk 24 second in, and the second pair on a Hart layup that made it a three-point game with 18:44 left in regulation.
- Holy Cross, however, responded with six-straight points, spurred by a Butler 3-pointer, and moments later, the Crusaders stretched the run to 20-7. Jacob Grandison's transition layup at 11:07 stretched the lead to 53-36, and with 9:30 remaining, Caleb Green knocked down a three to make it an 18-point advantage.
- The Greyhounds rallied to score 19 of the next 28 points with a Sam Norton 3-pointer bringing Loyola back within single digits, 62-55, at the 4:59 mark. Grandison, however, hit a three just over a minute later, and he later scored in the paint to make it an 11-point game with 1:44 on the clock.
- Loyola pulled within five, 78-73, with under 25 seconds remaining as Hart hit two of three free throws, but his foul shots were the Greyhounds' final points of the game.
Last Time Out
- Isaiah Hart hit a 3-pointer from the top of the perimeter with less than 50 seconds to play in overtime, and he then knocked down a pair of free throws with 29 ticks on the clock to help seal Loyola 81-73 victory over visiting Boston University on Wednesday night.
- The Greyhounds trailed by as many as 13 in the first half and were down 55-43 with 12:02 left in regulation before pulling out their second-straight victory.
- A layup and free throw by the Terriers' Max Mahoney at 12:02 on the clock gave Boston University a 12-point lead, but the Greyhounds used a 17-4 run to go up a point on two Andrew Kostecka free throws for their first lead of the night.
- The Terriers quickly scored the next five points with Alex Vilarino's traditional 3-point play making it a 64-60 Boston University lead, but Chuck Champion would get Loyola within a point, 67-66, scoring off an offensive rebound with just over two minutes left. Less than 10 seconds later, Kostecka had a steal and went the distance for a two-handed dunk which put the Greyhounds up 68-67 at 1:49.
- Mahoney drew a foul in the post for Boston University, and he hit two free throws at 1:28 to swing the lead back to the Terriers' side, but KaVaughn Scott was fouled and made the second of two at the line with 41 ticks left to tie the game.
- Loyola forced a Mahoney turnover on Boston University's next possession, but a Kostecka jumper just before the second half's final buzzer went offline, and the teams headed to overtime tied at 69-69.Mahoney and Kostecka traded layups for the team, but Kostecka's came while being fouled, and his free throw gave Loyola a 72-71 lead 1:17 into the extra period.
- Mahoney connected again in the paint at 3:26, but that would be Boston University's final points of the game as Loyola ended on a 9-0 run. James Fives grabbed an offensive board off a missed Loyola free throw, and he was fouled going up for a putback. Fives knocked down both free throws to give Loyola a lead it would not relinquish.
- Hart then stuck a three from the top of the perimeter with the shot clock winding down; Hart and Fives each made two free throws for Loyola with less than 30 seconds left to ice the game.
- Kostecka led five Loyola scorers in double-figures with 29 points. Hart and Champion each scored 11, while Scott and Fives tallied 10 apiece. Loyola had a 38-29 advantage on the boards with Scott and Fives each grabbing six.
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, something it duplicated Wednesday versus Boston University.
- 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).
- Versus the Terriers, Loyola forced 23 turnovers – 14 coming by steals – and held them to 45.8 percent from the field and 73 points, 69 in regulation. Boston University also made just 7 of 22 from 3-point range.
Statistical Differences
- Loyola's six wins and 12 losses can be seen in statistical differences. The Greyhounds have held opponents to 37.4 percent from the field, 24.8 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 73 or fewer points in each of their wins.
Kostecka In The Last 13
- Andrew Kostecka has logged career-high scoring numbers three times in the Greyhounds' last 14 games, recording eight 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 14, Kostecka has scored 309 points, an average of 21.6 to go with 5.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He has shot 53.3 percent from the field during those games 46.4 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 27 of 59 since, and including, that bucket.
- Kostecka leads the Patriot League in scoring this year with 20.1 points per game, and his 4.9 rebounds are 17th, third-most among guards. His points per game rank 35th, and his 362 total points this year rank 24th 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 13 games. During that stretch he is the team's third-leading scorer behind Kostecka and Champion.
- Hart has shot 50.0 percent from the field over the Greyhounds' last 13 games, a mark buoyed by shooting 52.1 percent from the field in the Greyhounds first five 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. He has averaged 15.0 points in Patriot League games, second on the team and 11th in the conference.
- 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.
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.
- In five Patriot League games, he has averaged 10.0 points and 6.4 rebounds.
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 12.7 points and first with 32.3 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 18 games of the season. The Greyhounds have gone to the stripe 378 times, making 270, and rank first in the Patriot League in both categories.
- Andrew Kostecka made all 12 of his free-throw attempts against Mount St. Mary's, the fifth-most in school history without a miss. He is 26th in the nation, and first in the conference, with 91 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 5.6 points per game in an average of 18.7 minutes, while Andrews has seen 16.2 minutes per game and averaged 3.6 points.
- Andrews made his first collegiate start against Army West Point and scored six points to go with four rebounds, numbers he matched in the overtime win against Boston University.. 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.
- Jones is also second on the team with 39 assists this year.
Up Next
- The Greyhounds remain on the road for their next contest, a Wednesday, January 23, affair at Bucknell University.
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.
