BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland shot 62.7 percent from the field on Friday night, the fourth-best field-goal percentage in school history, but it was a late defensive stretch that lifted the Greyhounds to a non-conference win, 93-81, over visiting UMass Lowell at Reitz Arena.
 
The win was Loyola's fifth in a row, the longest winning streak for the Greyhounds (8-4 overall) since it won six in a row from November 14-28, 2012.
 
Loyola held a tenuous one-point lead, 71-70 with just over eight minutes to play in regulation after the River Hawks' Kalil Thomas made a 3-pointer. From that point forward, however, the Greyhounds held UMass Lowell (6-8) to just 11 points, seven of which came at the free-throw line.
 
The River Hawks made only 2 of 10 shots in the final eight minutes, none of their four 3-pointers, and they committed three turnovers which all came on Loyola steals.
 
Offensively, Loyola had its best shooting performance since the 2011-2012 season by making 37 of 59 field goals. Andrew Kostecka broke out for 19 of his game-high 27 points in the final 16 minutes of the game, and he finished with his third career double-double, posting a season-best 10 rebounds.
 
KaVaughn Scott scored 11 of his 13 in the second half and grabbed eight rebounds. He had four boards and a key blocked shot in the last eight minutes of the game.
 
Jaylin Andrews made all four of his 3-point attempts in the game and matched his season-high with 14 points off the bench. Cam Spencer scored eight and tied his season-high with six assists.
 
Loyola took a 10-point lead in the first half on an Andrews three with 12:22 to go in the frame, but UMass Lowell used a 15-4 run to go up a point, 25-24, on a Christian Lutete transition basket less than five minutes later.
 
Andrews knocked down his third three of the opening half on the next possession to put Loyola back on top, but Ron Mitchell made a three in front of the Loyola bench with 6:00 on the clock, and it was another one-point lead for the River Hawks.
 
Loyola quickly went back up by five, but Lutete made the second of two at the free-throw line with less than 40 seconds left to cut it back to a one-point game. Spencer, however, drove and converted a layup with 19 ticks of the clock showing, sending the teams to the locker rooms with Loyola in front, 46-43.
 
That lead did not las long, however, as UMass Lowell went on an 11-0 run after an and-one by Scott gave Loyola a 49-43 advantage 25 seconds into the second half. Lutete, who had 24 points to lead the River Hawks, scored in the paint just over three minutes in, and UMass Lowell had a 54-49 lead.
 
Kostecka converted a half-court steal into a transition dunk at 15:32 to break the run, but Allin Blunt responded with two for the River Hawks, and the lead was again five, 56-51, with 15:13 on the clock.
 
Moments later, Kostecka knocked down a three, and on the next possession he hit a jumper, was fouled and made it a 3-point play to tack on his seventh-straight point, giving Loyola a 57-56 lead.
 
The lead changed hands six times between that and the 10-minute mark where Loyola clung to a 68-67 advantage. Kostecka was fouled at 9:52, but he only made the first of two. The teams traded missed shots on their next two possessions, but on Loyola's second turn, Kostecka dove for an offensive rebound and threw to Jones cutting down the lane for a layup that would give Loyola a 74-70 advantage with 7:41 on the clock.
 
Thomas' three at 8:06 made it a one-point game again, but Jones responded with a three of his own for Loyola, sparking the 22-11 run to end the game.
 
Jones finished with nine points, while Spencer and Dike each had eight.
 
Loyola closes its 2019-2020 regular-season non-conference schedule on Sunday, December 29, when it heads to Richmond to face Virginia Commonwealth University in a 5 p.m. game that will air nationally on NBC Sports Network.