Quick Hits About The Hounds
- Loyola University Maryland moves from inside the Baltimore Beltway to just outside the Capital Beltway for its next game, a 7 p.m. game on Tuesday, November 19, at George Mason University.
- The game, which is a part of the Cayman Islands Classic, will stream live on ESPN+.
- Andrew Kostecka scored in double-figures for the 20th-straight game on Saturday when he scored 31 on Sunday versus Fairfield. The game marked the 24th time in his career, and second time this year, that he has scored 20 or more. It was his fourth career 30-plus point performance. He has finished with 10 or more 49 times since the start of his sophomore year (2017-18). He has averaged 17.0 points during that stretch of 62 games.
- Tavaras Hardy is in his second season on the Loyola sidelines after he was named the 21st head coach in Loyola men's basketball history on March 28, 2018.
- In Hardy's first season, Loyola improved its field-goal percentage from .438 in 2017-18 to .459 in 2018-19, rising from 218th in NCAA Division I in the category to 85th. The Greyhounds' assists per game jumped from 11.6 to 14.0, moving from 309 to 124.
- The Greyhounds return 94.6 percent of their scoring and 86.79 percent of rebounds from a year ago.
Series History
- George Mason and the Greyhounds will meet for the 14th time when the teams take the floor on Tuesday night in Fairfax, Virginia, and for just the first time in regular-season play since the Patriots recorded a 66-52 victory at home on Dec. 8, 2010. The Patriots have a slim 7-6 lead in the all-time series.
- Loyola played at George Mason in the 2017 College Basketball Invitational (CBI), building a 25-point lead in the second half before finishing with a 73-58 victory in the tournament's first round.
- The Greyhounds held a 31-20 halftime lead before starting the second on a 10-2 run in the first 4:15 of the half. The advantage would go to 56-31 with 9:42 left in regulation before the Patriots got back within 10, 62-52 with just over five minutes to play. That was as close as they would draw, however, as Cam Gregory led four Greyhounds in double-figures with 16 points, while James Fives and Jarred Jones each had 14.
- Prior to the 2010 game, it had been 13 years since the teams had met. They played 2,400 miles to the west in the consolation round of the 1992 Albertson's Classic in Boise, Idaho.
About The Patriots
- George Mason improved to 4-0 this year with an 83-70 win over James Madison on Saturday, matching the best start in school history in the process. The Patriots also have wins over Navy, Longwood and LIU this season.
- In its four games, George Mason has outscored opponents, 76.8-66.0 this season, shooting 46.1 percent to opponents' 38.1.
- Five Patriots are averaging 10 or more points per game, led by Jamal Hartwell II's 14.3 and Javon Green's 13.8. A.J. Wilson leads George Mason with 8.3 rebounds per game.
Last Time Out
- Taj Benning's layup with 13:29 to go in regulation gave visiting Fairfield a 46-34 lead over Loyola, but the Greyhounds closed the gap to force overtime and then outscored the Stags, 16-7, in the extra period to post an 84-75 win in their home opener.
- Andrew Kostecka finished one point off his career-high with 31 points to go with six assists, five rebounds and four steals, while Kenneth Jones made all five of his 3-point attempts and scored a career-best 19 points, 13 that came in the second half or overtime. Two freshmen made their Reitz Arena regular-season debuts with emphasis as Golden Dike finished with 18 points, a game-best eight rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Cam Spencer hit a 3-pointer that put Loyola up two possessions in overtime, and he added six assists off the bench.
- Loyola never trailed in the extra frame as Kostecka made two free throws 51 seconds in. The Stags' Jesus Cruz matched that pair with two of his own 19 second later, but two more from the charity stripe by Kostecka at 3:36, and a Spencer three from the left wing gave Loyola a five-point advantage.
- The Greyhounds made seven of 10 free throws in the final 2:02, and Kostecka punctuated the game with a fast-break dunk to seal the win.
Conference Honors
- Loyola players swept the Patriot League weekly awards on Monday after the Greyhounds posted their win over Fairfield in overtime. Andrew Kostecka was named the conference's Player of the Week and Golden Dike took home Rookie honors.
- Kostecka scored 31 against the Stags and averaged 22.5 as he also led Loyola with 14 points at Old Dominion. Dike scored 18 points to go with eight rebounds, three assists and two steals versus Fairfield.
- The award was the fifth of Kostecka's career after he was a four-time Player of the Week last season. Dike's award is the sixth for Loyola since the Greyhounds joined the Patriot League in 2013-14.
Sharing Is Caring
- Loyola had 23 assists Sunday against Fairfield, good for a tie for eighth in school single-game history. It was the first time the Greyhounds have had that many assists against an NCAA Division I opponent since the 2013 season (they had 24 versus Division III Goucher in 2017).
- As a team this year, Loyola is averaging 17.3 assists with five players averaging two or more per game. Isaiah Hart, who had a career-best 10 assists at Chicago State, has 16 assists (4.0 per game), while Andrew Kostecka checks in with 11 and Kenneth Jones has 10.
- Through two weeks of the season, Loyola leads the Patriot League in assists (69) and assists per game.
From Downtown
- Kenneth Jones knocked down all five of his 3-point attempts Sunday night en route to scoring a to-date career-high 19 points in the overtime win against Fairfield.
- His 5 of 5 performance is tied for the third-best 3-point percentage in school history, matching what Anthony Walker did in a 2000 game against Canisius. Marquis Sullivan (2007 vs. Rider) and Andre Walker (2016 at American) share the school record for six 3-pointers without a miss.
Big Man Making Contributions
- At 6-foot-10, 250 points, Golden Dike has brought an immediate physical presence to the post for the Greyhounds. After scoring 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds versus Fairfield, Dike is averaging 7.5 points and 6.0 rebound this year through four games.
- He is shooting 68.8 percent from the field, making 11 of 16 shots.
30 This Decade
- Andrew Kostecka's 31-point performance against Fairfield marked the 13th time since 2010 that a Loyola player has scored 30 or more in a game. Kostecka has done it five times, more than any other player. Andre Walker scored 30 or more four times, Dylon Cormier did it three times and Erik Etherly accomplished it once.
Kostecka In The Last 32
- Andrew Kostecka has logged career-high scoring numbers four times in the Greyhounds' last 32 games, dating back to last season. During that stretch, he has recorded 19 games with 21 or more points, 14 with 26 or better and five with 30 or higher. He scored 13 or more in all but one of those games and had 18 or more in all but five.
BL Boys
- Jaylin Andrews and Cam Spencer were teammates at Boys' Latin School, less than three minutes from Loyola's campus where they finished second in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) A Conference in 2017-18, Andrews' senior year. The Lakers were then semifinalists in 2018-19 when Spencer was the MIAA Player of the Year.
- Now, they share the court at Loyola and each scored 14 points as they combine to shoot 9 of 19 from the field at Chicago State.
- In the Greyhounds' win over Fairfield, Spencer had six assists with just one turnover, and Andrews finished with seven points.
Bring Back The Most
- Loyola returns more of its scoring from a year ago than any school in the Patriot League. Led by three players who averaged 10 or more points per game, the Greyhounds return 94.6 percent of their points from last season.
- Andrew Kostecka (21.3), Brent Holcombe (11.0), Chuck Champion (10.7) and Isaiah Hart (10.1) all averaged 10 or more points for the Greyhounds, although Holcombe was limited to 12 games before he was sidelined for the year with an injury.
- The three players – James Fives, Sam Norton and Jan Dornik – who are not back this year combined for 125 of the Greyhounds' 2,332 points in 2018-2019.
Preseason Prognostications
- Loyola was picked to finish fourth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, the highest the Greyhounds have been tabbed before the year since joining the conference in 2013-14.
- Colgate was picked first, followed by Bucknell, American, the Greyhounds and Boston University in the top-five. Army West Point, Lehigh, Lafayette, Navy and Holy Cross rounded out the poll.
- Andrew Kostecka was selected to the Preseason All-Patriot League First Team by the coaches. He was also named the top small forward in Mid-Major basketball by College Basketball Central. He was also named to the Lou Henson Award Watch List.
Season For The Books
- Andrew Kostecka had one of the most statistically prolific seasons in Loyola men's basketball history last year when he averaged 21.3 points, scoring 682 in 32 contests. His 682 points were second in program history behind only Andre Collins' 2005-06 total of 731 which is the school record.
- The All-Patriot League First Team and All-Defensive Team honoree's 152 free throws made were eighth in single-season history, and Kostecka's 85 steals were good for third and are the most since Jason Rowe set the school record with 95 in 1998-99.
- Andrew Kostecka scored the game's first point February 9, 2019, at Colgate, and in the process became the 38th player in Loyola history to reach 1,000 career points.
- Against Chicago State on November 11, he became the 26th player to reach 1,200 career points, and versus Fairfield he moved into the top-20 of the school's all-time scoring list with 1,262 points.
- He had four steals against both Old Dominion and the Stags to give him 174 for his career to move into fifth all-time at Loyola; he is one of seven Loyola players to amass 1,200 points and 150 steals. With three more steals, he'll tie Tracy Bergan for third fourth with 177.
Think Globally, Not Just Locally
- Not only did Andrew Kostecka's statistics and play resonate at Loyola, but his 2018-19 campaign stacked up against some of the best in nation.
- He was the only player in NCAA Division I to average 21 points or more and 2.5 steals or more per game last year, and he was also one of only four players – Duke's Zion Williamson, St. John's Shamorie Ponds and Louisiana Monroe's Daishon Smith – to average 20 or more points and two or more steals. Throw in blocked shots, and he was the only player to average 21 or more points, 2.5 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.
- Four players – Kostecka, Hofstra's Justin Wright-Foreman, Charleston's Grant Riller and Austin Peay's Terry Taylor – took 450 or more shots from the field while shooting 52.1 percent of better. In the history of the Patriot League, only one player had accomplished that, Colgate's Adonal Foyle (1996-97). Research via sports-reference.com.
- Overall, he finished eighth nationally in steals per game, 11th in total steals, 27th in points per game, 30th in field goals made and 36th in total points.
In The Patriot League, Too
- In the history of the Patriot League, only two players have averaged 20+ points, 4.5+ rebounds, 2.0+ steals and 2.0+ assists. NBA All-Star C.J. McCollum did it for Lehigh University in both 2010-11 and 2011-12, and Andrew Kostecka did so in 2018-19.
Cementing His Status
- Jaylin Andrews joined the Greyhounds' starting lineup on January 12, 2019, and was a fixture there ever since, en route to earning Patriot League All-Rookie Honors
- Andrews set a new career-high with a 21-point outing, making 5 of 6 threes and 8 of 11 overall field goals ,in the regular-season finale against Lehigh.
- In Patriot League games, Andrews averaged 8.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in 29.3 minutes of action in 2018-19. Prior to the conference starting, Andrews was averaging 3.2 points in 14.8 minutes per game.
Leading In The Post And On Campus
- KaVaughn Scott stepped into a starting role as a post player last season and turned in career-highs of 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 54.3 percent from the field.
- Off the court, Scott has stepped into a leadership role in several areas. He serves as the co-president of Loyola's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and he is also a member of the school's Green & Grey Society, a group of 14 seniors selected to represent their peers with the university president and administration.
Two Over Ten
- Chuck Champion is one of three players returning for the Greyhounds who have averaged 10 or more points over each of the last two seasons (Andrew Kostecka and Isaiah Hart).
- Champion has averaged 8.9 points over his 90 career games, scoring 10 or more 40 times while tallying 803 points in a Greyhounds uniform.
Closing On A High Note
- Kenneth Jones finished his freshman season with a flourish, posting four of his seven games with 10 or more points in the Greyhounds' final seven games. The guard averaged 10 points per over that span, capped by a 14-point effort at American and a 15-point game against Lehigh, both Loyola victories.
- During his freshman campaign, Jones played in all 32 games, seeing 20.3 minutes of action while averaging 6.4 points. He also finished third on the team with 70 assists, and he had a 1.62:1 assist:turnover ratio.
Graduation Success
- Loyola University Maryland tied for the fourth-highest overall Graduate Success Rate (GSR) in the NCAA report released in October, highlighting the Greyhounds success in the classroom. Loyola had a 97 percent GSR marking the sixth time the Greyhounds have had a GSR of 97 or better. Loyola has ranked in the top-25 of the GSR in all 15 years since the report's inception.
- Loyola's basketball program was one of two in the State of Maryland that had a NCAA Graduation Success Rate of 100 percent for the most-recent report.
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 seventh season.
Up Next
- The Greyhounds next head to Omaha for the Mainland Bracket of the Cayman Islands Classic. They will open up against IUPUI on Monday, November 25, before playing either Nebraska-Omaha or Southern the following day.
