BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland women's basketball is on the road for its final two games of the regular season, beginning with Sunday's 4 p.m. matchup at Lehigh. The Greyhounds will be looking to record back-to-back victories for the first time since topping Monmouth (64-48) and Dartmouth (72-56) on December 20 and 31.
Last Time Out
- Alexis Gray scored a season-high 19 points, while Emily McAteer supplied 16 points off the bench in a 64-54 home victory over Navy on Wednesday.
- The Greyhounds completed their first season sweep of the Midshipmen since joining the Patriot League in 2013-14.
- Gray hit 6 of 13 shots from the field and 6 of 7 free throw attempts. Her previous season-best was a 17-point effort in Loyola's first game against Navy on Feb. 1.
- McAteer (6-9 FG, 2-3 3FG) finished two points shy of her season high. She reached double figures for a seventh time this season (first since Jan. 11).
- Loyola shot 47.1% (24-51) from the field and 42.9% (6-14) from 3-point range while improving its record at Reitz Arena to 6-6 this season.
Series History
- Lehigh leads 13-7 in a series which dates back to 1982.
- The Mountain Hawks have won nine of the 14 meetings since Loyola joined the Patriot League in 2013-14, including each of the last four matchups.
- Lehigh's Cameryn Benz sank a game-winning shot from just inside the free throw line with 1.5 seconds left in the first meeting this season, sending Loyola to a 55-53 defeat at Reitz Arena on Jan. 5.
- Laryn Edwards led the Greyhounds with 16 points while playing the entire 40 minutes in that contest, while Emily McAteer had 10 points, nine rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Scouting Lehigh
- The Mountain Hawks (16-11, 8-8) enter on a three-game losing streak, and they have dropped eight of their last 11 contests overall.
- Lehigh is coming off a 48-47 defeat at Boston University on Wednesday, with Maren Durant making a pair of free throws to put the Terriers in front with 0.3 seconds remaining.
- So. G Megan Walker had a team-high 16 points (4-4 3FG) for Lehigh.
- Sr. G Camryn Buhr, a Preseason All-Patriot League selection, leads the team in both scoring (12.7 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg), though she did not play in Wednesday's defeat.
Karcz Steal Milestone Watch
- Stephanie Karcz has led Division I in steals per game (5.2) for a majority of the season. Her 135 steals this season are the fourth most in Patriot League history; she has recorded 100+ steals in each of the last three years.
- The NCAA's active leader in steals (446), Karcz is ranked 13th overall in DI history. Next up on the all-time list are UConn's Nykesha Sales (449) and Texas A&M's Toccara Williams (452), and she is only nine thefts away from surpassing Dawn Staley (454) and moving into the top 10.
- 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.
- She has 1,222 career points (9th all-time at Loyola), 1,044 career rebounds (2nd), 380 career assists (4th), 445 steals (1st), 29 career double-doubles, four triple doubles and 12 games with 20+ points.
Current Playoff Scenarios
- Loyola's victory over Navy on Wednesday guaranteed a home game for the Greyhounds in the Patriot League tournament
- Loyola will be either the No. 7 or No. 8 seed, hosting an opening round game at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 7
- The Greyhounds (8-19, 5-11) are currently in the No. 8 position. They can move up to the No. 7 spot with victories over Lehigh and Holy Cross to conclude the regular season, along with losses by American (11-15, 7-9) to Holy Cross and Navy.
- Loyola will take on either Army (7-20, 3-13) or Navy (7-20, 2-14) in the opening round, with the winner advancing to a quarterfinal matchup on Monday, March 9.
Gray Heating Up on Offense
- Alexis Gray has now reached double figures in eight of Loyola's last 11 contests after her 19-point performance against Navy.
- She is averaging a team-high 11.5 points per game during that stretch, and ranks second on the team overall at 9.4 ppg on the year.
- Gray is currently third in team history with 146 career 3-pointers made. She is 11 back of program-record holder Nicole Krusen (2011-14) and four behind Meredith Tolley (2007-11) in second place.
Another Strong Game for Niles
- After registering a season-high 14 points last Saturday against Lafayette, Hannah Niles added nine more points in Wednesday's victory over Navy. Her 3-pointer late in the third quarter capped off a 12-2 run which allowed Loyola to open up a comfortable 48-31 advantage.
- Niles became the second Loyola player to go 10 for 10 from the free throw line in a game last Saturday. Laryn Edwards previously accomplished the feat on Jan. 8 against Colgate.
- Niles is the lone Loyola player to start all 27 games in 2019-20, and she has earned starts in 51 of 58 games overall in the past two seasons.
McAteer Finishes Strong
- Half of Emily McAteer's 16 points on Wednesday came in the fourth quarter, as the Greyhounds finished off their 64-54 win. The second of her two 3-pointers in the frame gave Loyola its largest lead of 61-41 with 6:43 remaining.
- McAteer added five rebounds in the victory, giving her 5+ boards in six of Loyola's last seven games overall.
- Her top scoring performance this season was an 18-point effort against Holy Cross in Loyola's Patriot League opener on Jan. 2.
Quick Notes
- Stephanie Karcz is one of two players nationally with multiple triple-doubles on the year, joining Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu. She has two triple-doubles this season and four overall in her collegiate career.
- Alexis Gray leads all qualified Patriot League shooters in free throw percentage (82.1, 64-78).
- Loyola has out-rebounded its opponent in five of the last seven games, including a +12 margin (35-23) on Wednesday.
- The Greyhounds are a perfect 8-0 when out-shooting their opponent this season, and they are 7-2 when leading at halftime.
- The Greyhounds lead the Patriot League in steals per game (10.0) and 3-point FG% defense (29.0), and they rank second in turnovers forced per game (18.0).
- Loyola is 0-5 in games decided by three points or less.
- Loyola is 6-6 at Reitz Arena compared to a 2-13 mark away from home.
Looking Ahead
- Loyola concludes the regular season with a 7 p.m. matchup at Holy Cross on Wednesday evening.
