BALTIMORE –
Stephanie Karcz recorded her second triple-double of the season and the fourth of her collegiate career, totaling 13 points, 12 rebounds, 12 steals and seven assists in a 68-59 victory for Loyola University Maryland over Army West Point on Alumnae Day at Reitz Arena.
Karcz's 12 steals matched a program record and were the most ever in a Patriot League game. She has all four triple-doubles in team history, and she finished just three assists away from the sixth quadruple-double in the history of Division I.
Ava Therien added 12 points off the bench, while
Alexis Gray supplied 11 points for the Greyhounds (4-13, 1-5) in their first Patriot League win of the season. The Black Knights (5-12, 1-5) never led in the contest.
Delaney Connolly drained a pair of 3-pointers during a 12-2 run for Loyola to start the first quarter. The margin grew to as large as 19 points at 35-16 before Army closed the opening half on a 7-0 run.
Loyola maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the third quarter. Army twice pulled within seven points in the closing minutes of regulation, last doing so at 59-52 with 2:42 on the clock, but Gray hit 7 of 8 free throw attempts to help the home side seal the victory from the charity stripe.
Karcz is now up to 103 steals through her first 17 games on the year, with her 6.1 thefts per game continuing to easily lead Division I. She also passed six players, including former Duke standout Alana Beard, on the all-time DI leaderboard with today's performance. Karcz now ranks No. 21 in DI history with 414 thefts in 107 collegiate appearances.
The previous record for steals in a Patriot League game was 11, a total reached by American's Chanel Spriggs back in 2003. Karcz tied the Loyola program mark which was originally established by Kaitlin Grant at Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 28, 2009. As a team, the Greyhounds' 18 overall steals also tied a single-game program record.
Loyola forced 25 turnovers in the victory, and held a 38-18 advantage on points in the paint. Therien's 12 points off the bench were one shy of her season high. She hit 4 of 5 field goal attempts and 4 of 6 attempts from the free throw line.
Lindsey Scamman finished with 15 points (9-11 FT) and 10 rebounds to lead the Black Knights. Loyola topped Army for a second-straight game after having dropped 11 of the previous 12 matchups between the two sides.
The Greyhounds are back on the road Wednesday morning, traveling to American for a Patriot League contest beginning at 11:30 a.m.
Gallery: (1/18/2020) Women's Basketball vs. Army West Point