BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland women's basketball concludes a stretch of eight home games out of 11 contests with Wednesday night's 6 p.m. matchup against Boston University. The Greyhounds have won their last two games at Reitz Arena, and they are 4-4 overall at home this season.
Last Time Out
- All five Loyola starters scored in double figures, as Loyola led from start-to-finish in a 60-50 upset victory over Bucknell on Women in Sports Day over the weekend.
- Alexis Gray supplied 16 points, hitting 7 of 8 free throws in the final minutes, while Stephanie Karcz recorded her 27th career double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.
- Bucknell (14-5, 7-1) had won its first seven conference games by an average of 18.9 points.
- Hannah Niles and Laryn Edwards totaled 11 points apiece, while Delaney Connolly chipped in 10 to round out the Loyola scoring.
- The Greyhounds shot 15 of 16 from the free throw line (93.8%), 7 of 14 from 3-point range (50.0%) and had a 24-10 advantage in the paint.
Series History
- Boston U leads 8-6 in a series which began when Loyola joined the Patriot League in 2013-14.
- The Terriers ground out a 44-42 win in this year's first meeting in Boston on Jan. 15. Loyola led 18-6 after the first quarter, but was limited to 24 points and a 23.0 FG% (9-39) the rest of the way.
- Stephanie Karcz had nine points, 10 rebounds and three steals, including the 400th of her career, in the defeat.
- BU has won five of the last seven meetings overall.
Scouting Boston U
- The Terriers (9-10, 4-4) are coming off an up-and-down week. They fell 46-41 at Navy last Wednesday, allowing the Mids to pick up their first conference win of the season, but earned a 76-70 OT home win over Holy Cross over the weekend.
- Fr. G Maggie Pina hit the game-tying 3-pointer to force OT in the final seconds of regulation on Saturday, and she had 10 of BU's 12 points in the extra session.
- Leading scorer Katie Nelson (14.2 ppg) leads the conference in minutes played (39.3 per game) and she ranks second in both 3FG% (36.4, 48-132) and 3's per game (2.5).
- Fr. F Maren Durant is second in the conference in blocks per game (1.3). Pina is fourth in 3FG% (34.5, 40-116) and fifth in 3's per game (2.1).
Karcz Among NCAA, Patriot League Leaders
- Stephanie Karcz has led Division I in steals per game for a majority of the season. She is currently averaging 6.0 thefts through Loyola's first 19 contests.
- Karcz's 114 steals this season are already the fifth most in Patriot League single-season history, and she is nine back of her own school record of 123 (set last year).
- Among Patriot League players, Karcz also ranks 13th in scoring (11.7 ppg), third in rebounds per game (9.7) and fourth in assists per game (4.2).
- Karcz is one of two players nationally with multiple triple-doubles on the year, joining Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu. She has four triple-doubles overall in her collegiate career.
- Karcz's 12 thefts against Army on Jan. 18 were the most by a DI player this season, were tied for Loyola's program record, and were the most ever in a Patriot League game.
- There have only been 18 instances in DI this year where a player has recorded 9+ steals in a game, and Karcz has accounted for four of them.
- Karcz was one of 15 players across Division I selected to the Naismith Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year Midseason Team last week. Of the 15 chosen, 12 come from Power Five teams and 10 are a part of nationally-ranked programs.
Success from the Charity Stripe
- Four of Loyola's five primary starters are shooting over 80% from the free throw line this season, with Delaney Connolly (85.7%, 12-14), Alexis Gray (84.8%, 39-46), Laryn Edwards (83.3%, 35-42) and Hannah Niles (83.3%, 15-18) all performing well at the charity stripe.
- Gray now leads all qualified Patriot League shooters in free throw percentage.
- Loyola was 15 for 16 (93.8%) from the line on Saturday. The Greyhounds' top performance this season was a 15 for 15 effort vs. Colgate on Jan. 8.
- Bri Rozzi (18 GP/4 GS) is also shooting 84.4% (27-32) from the line. As a team, Loyola ranks fourth in the Patriot League with a 70.7 FT%.
Success from the Charity Stripe
- Four of Loyola's five primary starters are shooting over 80% from the free throw line this season, with Delaney Connolly (85.7%, 12-14), Alexis Gray (84.2%, 32-38), Hannah Niles (81.3%, 13-16) and Laryn Edwards (80.6%, 29-36) all performing well at the charity stripe.
- Bri Rozzi (18 GP/4 GS) is also shooting 84.4% (27-32) from the line.
- As a team, Loyola ranks fourth in the Patriot League with a 69.2 FT%.
Hot from Downtown
- Loyola hit half (7 for 14) of its 3-point attempts in Saturday's win over Bucknell, continuing a trend of strong shooting beyond the arc leading to victories.
- The Greyhounds are shooting 39.5% from 3-point range in their five wins this season; they are 25.9% from 3-point range in all other contests.
- Alexis Gray (3 for 4) and Delaney Connolly (2 for 2) led Loyola from long distance in Saturday's victory.
Karcz Nearing Another Major Milestone
- Stephanie Karcz has grabbed double-digit rebounds in each of Loyola's last five games, and she is now up to 983 boards for her collegiate career.
- That leaves her 17 away from becoming the fourth Loyola player all-time to reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds with the program. Karcz scored her 1,000th career point at Florida Atlantic back on Nov. 29.
Quick Notes
- Laryn Edwards hit all six free throw attempts on Saturday, and she is now 28 for 29 (96.6%) from the line during Patriot League play.
- Stephanie Karcz is the NCAA's active leader in steals (425) and she is tied for 16th overall in DI history. Karcz is one back of Georgia's Sherill Baker in 15th and four behind Northwestern's Ashley Deary in 14th.
- Loyola's +9 rebounding margin on Saturday (32-23) was its highest in Patriot League play and its second-highest overall on the year. The Greyhounds finished +13 (37-24) at Mount St. Mary's back on Dec. 6.
- Loyola and Bucknell's starters accounted for all 110 points in Saturday's matchup at Reitz, with both teams' reserves held off the scoreboard.
- Loyola leads the conference and ranks 12th nationally in steals per game (11.6).
- The Greyhounds also lead the Patriot League in turnovers forced per game (19.5) and rank second in 3-point FG% defense (28.6).
Looking Ahead
- Loyola concludes a stretch of eight home games out of 11 on Wednesday, hosting Boston University at 6 p.m.
