BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland women's basketball, which will be the No. 8 seed in this year's Patriot League Tournament, wraps up the regular season with a 7 p.m. matchup at Holy Cross on Wednesday.
Last Time Out
- Delaney Connolly recorded her first collegiate double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but hot outside shooting from Lehigh sent Loyola to a 82-64 road defeat on Sunday afternoon.
- The Mountain Hawks (17-11, 9-8) shot 43.8 percent from 3-point range, hitting 14 of 32 attempts from long distance. Paige Galiani accounted for six of those makes, and she finished the contest with a game-high 18 points.
- Connolly set season-highs in both points and rebounds, as she reached double figures in scoring for a 10th time on the year. The junior forward hit 7 of 13 shots from the field overall.
- Laryn Edwards added 11 points, seven rebounds and a career-high five assists, while Stephanie Karcz supplied 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals.
Series History
- Holy Cross leads 8-7 in a series which dates back to 1990, and the Crusaders have a 7-6 advantage since Loyola joined the Patriot League prior to the 2013-14 season.
- The Greyhounds have dropped three-straight to Holy Cross, including a 64-56 home defeat to open up Patriot League play this season on Jan. 2.
- Emily McAteer scored a season-high 18 points (4-8 3FG) in that contest, while Stephanie Karcz totaled 14 points, six rebounds and seven steals. Holy Cross hit 10 of 18 attempts from 3-point range.
Scouting Holy Cross
- The Crusaders (17-11, 10-7) have topped American (73-58) and Army (64-61) in their last two contests to move back up to fifth in the Patriot League standings. They are 9-3 at home this season compared to an 8-8 mark on the road.
- Sr. F Lauren Manis (18.4 ppg, 11.3 rpg), leads the conference in scoring (18.4 ppg) and ranks tied for sixth nationally in double-doubles (18). She totaled 32 points and 16 boards at Lafayette on Feb. 15, and added 30 points and 14 boards against Colgate on Feb. 22.
- Sr. C Megan Swords leads the conference in FG% (54.2), while Sr. G Madalyn Smith is tied for first in assists per game (4.8).
- So. G Avery LaBarbera tops the Patriot League in assist to turnover ratio (+2.2) and is third in 3-point FG% (36.1).
Karcz Steal Milestone Watch
- Stephanie Karcz has led Division I in steals per game (5.1) for a majority of the season. Her 137 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 (448), Karcz is ranked 13th overall in DI history after passing UConn's Nykesha Sales with the second of her two thefts on Sunday. Next up on the all-time list is Texas A&M's Toccara Williams (452), and she is only seven thefts away from surpassing Virginia's 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 1,232 career points (9th all-time at Loyola), 1,049 career rebounds (2nd), 385 career assists (4th), 448 steals (1st), 29 career double-doubles, four triple doubles and 12 games with 20+ points.
Almost Playoff Time
- Loyola will host a Patriot League tournament opening round game for a third time in the past four years when it welcomes Army West Point (8-20, 4-13) to Reitz Arena on Saturday.
- The Greyhounds have advanced to the Patriot League quarterfinals in four-straight seasons, including a title game appearance in 2015-16.
- Loyola and Army split this year's meetings, with the Greyhounds winning 68-59 at home on Jan. 18 and the Black Knights taking the rematch by a 75-55 final on Feb. 19.
- Saturday's winner will advance to play at top-seeded Bucknell (22-6, 15-2) in a quarterfinal matchup next Monday.
Milestone Game for Connolly
- Delaney Connolly set season highs in both points (17) and rebounds (10) while recording her first collegiate double-double at Lehigh. She hit 7 of 13 shots from the field overall while reaching double figures for a 10th time this season.
- Connolly grabbed double-digit rebounds for a second time at Loyola, finishing one shy of her career-high of 11 established against Lehigh last February.
- Connolly has started 25 of the 26 games she has appeared in this season, leading the Greyhounds with 31 made 3-pointers. She is shooting 33.3 percent (31-93) from beyond the arc.
Offensive Depth on Display
- Four Loyola players scored in double figures for the first time since Jan. 25 on Sunday, with Connolly, Laryn Edwards (11), Stephanie Karcz (10) and Hannah Niles (10) all hitting double digits on offense.
- Edwards finished three rebounds shy of her first double-double, while her five assists were a new career best.
- Niles, the lone Loyola player to start all 28 games in 2019-20, is averaging 11.0 points over the past three contests, including a season-high 14-point effort (10-10 FT) against Lafayette on Feb. 22.
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.
- Emily McAteer was an honorable mention selection for this week's Patriot League awards after contributing 16 points (6-9 FG) and five rebounds in last Wednesday's 64-54 victory over Navy. She has grabbed 5+ boards in seven of Loyola's last eight games.
- Alexis Gray ranks second among all qualified Patriot League shooters in free throw percentage (82.1, 64-78).
- 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 are second in the Patriot League in steals per game (9.8) and turnovers forced per game (17.7), and they are third in 3-point FG% defense (29.8).
- Loyola is 0-5 in games decided by three points or less.
- Loyola is 6-6 at Reitz Arena compared to a 2-14 mark at all other venues.
Looking Ahead
- Loyola hosts ninth-seeded Army West Point in the opening round of the Patriot League tournament at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
