BALTIMORE – Loyola looks to make it two Patriot League victories in a row on Wednesday, traveling to American for an 11:30 a.m. road contest. The Greyhounds are looking for their first win away from Reitz Arena since Nov. 13.
Last Time Out
- 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 home victory for Loyola over Army West Point on Saturday.
- Karcz's 12 steals matched a program record and were the most ever in a Patriot League game. They were also the most for any player in Division I this season.
- 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.
- Ava Therien added 12 points (4-5 FG, 4-6 FT) off the bench, while Alexis Gray (7-8 FT) supplied 11 points for the Greyhounds.
More on Karcz's Steals, Triple-Double
- Stephanie Karcz has led Division I in steals per game for a majority of the season. She is currently averaging 6.1 thefts, with Norfolk State's Chanette Hicks (5.3) the only other player in DI averaging over four steals per contest.
- With her 12 steals on Saturday, Karcz moved past six players, including former Duke standout Alana Beard, up to No. 21 all-time in DI with 414 career thefts.
- Karcz is one of two players nationally with multiple triple-doubles on the year, joining Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu. Karcz previously totaled 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals in a win over Dartmouth on Dec. 31.
- Karcz is one of two active players in Division I with 1,000 career points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 steals. She has 1,123 career points (tied for 12th all-time at Loyola), 961 career rebounds (4th at Loyola), 358 career assists (5th at Loyola), 26 career double-doubles, four triple doubles and 11 games with 20+ points.
Series History
- American leads 21-6 in a series which dates back to 1977.
- The Eagles have won each of the last six meetings, with the last five contests decided by double digits.
- Loyola is 1-12 all-time in road games at American, with the lone victory a 55-50 triumph on Feb. 27, 2016. That game also marks Loyola's last win in the series.
- Taleah Dixon poured in 25 points, one shy of her career-high, in the last meeting between the two teams, a 67-56 victory for American at Reitz on Feb. 13 last season.
Scouting American
- The Eagles (6-10, 2-4 Patriot League) have dropped their last three games, including a 72-59 road loss at Holy Cross on Saturday.
- American's two conference victories have both come at home, as they topped Colgate (63-61) on Jan. 2 and Army (73-57) on Jan. 8.
- The Eagles are 5-2 at home overall this season compared to a 1-8 mark at all other venues.
- So. G Jade Edwards ranks third among Patriot League scorers at 14.9 points per game. She has reached double figures in 12 of her 15 appearances.
- American ranks last in the Patriot League in both rebounding margin (-5.6) and 3-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot 37.1% from behind the arc.
Defense Leads to Wins
- Loyola forced 25 Army turnovers over the weekend, turning those giveaways into 24 points on the other end in Saturday's 68-59 victory.
- The 25 giveaways were Loyola's second-highest forced in a game this season, behind only 28 turnovers from Howard back on Nov. 20.
- Loyola leads the Patriot League and ranks 35th nationally with an average of 20.1 turnovers forced per game on the year.
Strong at the Line
- Four of Loyola's five primary starters are shooting over 80% from the free throw line this season, with Hannah Niles (85.7%, 12-14), Delaney Connolly (84.6%, 11-13), Alexis Gray (83.3%, 30-36) and Laryn Edwards (80.6%, 29-36) all performing well at the charity stripe.
- Bri Rozzi (17 GP/4 GS) is shooting a team-high 86.7% (26-30) from the line.
- As a team, Loyola ranks fourth in the Patriot League with a 69.5 FT%.
Quick Notes
- Ashley Hunter returned to action on Saturday after missing the previous 14 games due to injury. She totaled four points (2-4 FG) in seven minutes.
- Ava Therien reached double figures for a fourth time this season with her 12-point effort on Saturday. She leads the team with a 53.3 FG% (48-90).
- Loyola is a perfect 4-0 this season when out-shooting its opponent.
- Hannah Niles and Stephanie Karcz are the only Greyhounds to start all 17 games this season.
- Emily McAteer (36.2%, 17-47) leads the team in 3-point field goal percentage.
- Loyola's bench has outscored opposing reserves in 11 of 17 games this season.
Active Hands on D
- Loyola leads the conference and ranks 12th nationally in steals per game (11.9).
- The Greyhounds matched the program record with 18 steals in Saturday's win over Army. That mark had previously been reached on six other occasions.
- Loyola has recorded double-digit steals in 12 of 17 games on the year.
Looking Ahead
- Loyola is back at Reitz on Saturday, hosting Bucknell at 2 p.m. as part of Loyola's annual Women in Sports Day. Admission to all related activities and the game is free.
