BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland women's basketball takes the court for the first time since Dec. 8 on Friday, hosting Monmouth in a non-conference contest beginning at 1 p.m.
The Greyhounds, who were away from Reitz Arena for eight of their first nine games, fell 75-69 to Howard in their lone matchup in Baltimore back on Nov. 20. This begins a stretch of five-straight home contests for Loyola through Jan. 8.
Last Time Out
- Shakira Austin totaled 25 points and 13 rebounds, while Taylor Mikesell and Stephanie Jones scored 20 points apiece in a 105-45 victory for No. 9 Maryland over Loyola at the Xfinity Center in College Park.
- Stephanie Karcz led the Greyhounds with 12 points, seven steals, six rebounds and four assists. The Division I leader in steals per game recorded 6+ thefts for a seventh-consecutive game.
- Sisters Isabella Therien and Ava Therien each added eight points off the bench, with Ava connecting on 4 of 5 field goal attempts.
- The Terrapins shot 56.9 percent from the field and scored 30 points off 25 turnovers.
Series History
- Monmouth leads 9-4 in a series which dates back to the 1978-79 season.
- The teams met for the first time in 19 years last winter, with Stephanie Karcz (12 points, 12 rebounds, 10 steals) recording her second-career triple double in a 75-67 road victory for the Greyhounds on Dec. 22.
- Alexis Gray totaled 15 points (5-9 3FG) to lead six Loyola players in double figures during the win.
Scouting Monmouth
- The Hawks (3-5) have won three of their past four contests after starting the year with four-straight defeats.
- Lucy Thomas (22 points, 13 rebounds) and Alexa Middleton (16 points, 15 rebounds) had double-doubles during a 62-60 overtime win for the Hawks over Manhattan on Tuesday. Thomas hit the go-ahead jumper with four seconds remaining in the extra session.
- Monmouth will be playing its third Patriot League opponent in 2019-20 after opening the season with a 71-37 setback at Bucknell and edging Lafayette by a 52-44 final on Dec. 7.
- The Hawks were ranked fifth out of 11 schools in this year's MAAC preseason poll after finishing last season with a record of 14-17 (9-9 MAAC). Leading scorer Sierra Green (12.4 ppg) was a first-team Preseason All-MAAC selection.
Karcz by the Numbers
- Stephanie Karcz has 54 steals in nine games this season. Her 6.0 thefts per game are nearly a full steal ahead of the next-closest player in Division I.
- The 2018 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, Karcz set a new program record for steals on Nov. 30 vs. Wright State. With her 365 thefts, she has an opportunity to become the 28th player in Division I history to reach 400 for her collegiate career.
- Karcz became the 22nd player in program history to score 1,000 points on Nov. 29 against FAU. She ranks 20th all-time at Loyola with 1,028 points, 19 back of Maureen McHugh (1982-86) at No. 19.
- The first of her four assists at Maryland was the 321st of her collegiate career, moving her ahead of Bri Betz-White (2014-19) for seventh place all-time at Loyola.
- Karcz also ranks No. 5 all-time with 889 career rebounds, as she looks to become the fourth Loyola player in team history to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. She is 11 boards away from surpassing Mary Anne Kirsch (1995-99) for fourth place.
I. Therien Back in the Fold
- Isabella Therien scored nine points (3-4 FG, 3-6 FT) in nine minutes in her return from an extended injury absence at Mount St. Mary's on Dec. 6. She added eight more points in 13 minutes at No. 9 Maryland two days later.
- When healthy, Therien has been one of the top offensive threats in the conference over the last two years, averaging 14.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game across her first 42 collegiate appearances. She led the Greyhounds in scoring in both the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns.
Shots Keep Falling for A. Therien
- Ava Therien leads the team in field goal percentage through the first nine games, hitting 61.4 percent (27-44) of her attempts from the floor in her debut collegiate season.
- She made 4 of 5 attempts from the field at both Mount St. Mary's and Maryland, and hit 6 of 8 field goal attempts while scoring a season-high 12 points at St. Francis Brooklyn on Nov. 24.
- Therien ranks second on the team in scoring over the past five contests, averaging 8.6 points per game during that span.
Looking Ahead
- Loyola has another extended break after Friday, with 11 days off before the Greyhounds continue their five-game homestand against Dartmouth at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31.
