BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland women's basketball looks to return to the Patriot League quarterfinals for a fifth-consecutive season, as the eighth-seeded Greyhounds host No. 9 Army West Point in an opening round contest on Saturday. The winner will head to top-seeded Bucknell (23-6, 16-2) on Monday.
Last Time Out
- Hannah Niles matched her season-high with 14 points while leading three Loyola players in double figures, but it was not enough for the Greyhounds in a 66-48 defeat at Holy Cross on Wednesday.
- Niles went 4 for 5 from 3-point range, and the Greyhounds hit 40.9 percent (9-22) of their attempts from long distance overall.
- Emily McAteer supplied 11 points (3-4 3FG) off the bench, while Stephanie Karcz chipped in 12 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists.
- The Crusaders (18-11, 11-7) outscored Loyola by an 18-5 margin in the second quarter to take control. Lauren Manis led the home side with 25 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.
Karcz Milestone Steals Watch
- The last of Stephanie Karcz's four steals on Wednesday moved her into a tie with Texas A&M's Toccara Williams (2001-04) for 11th place all-time in NCAA history.
- Karcz has 452 thefts in her career; she is three away from surpassing six-time WNBA All-Star and current South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley to move into the top 10.
- Karcz has led Division I in steals per game (5.0) for a majority of the season. Her 141 steals this season are the fourth most in Patriot League history; she has recorded 100+ steals in each of the last three years, and she has multiple thefts in 26 of 28 appearances this season.
- 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 1,244 career points (9th all-time at Loyola), 1,056 career rebounds (2nd), 388 career assists (4th), 452 steals (1st), 29 career double-doubles, four triple doubles and 12 games with 20+ points.
Series History
- Army leads 13-7 in a series which dates back to 2008.
- The Black Knights halted a two-game losing streak to Loyola with a 75-55 home win on Feb. 19. Army outscored the Greyhounds by a 48-16 margin over the final 14 minutes after trailing 39-27 midway through the third quarter
- Stephanie Karcz (13 points, 12 rebounds, 12 steals, seven assists) recorded her fourth-career triple-double and finished three assists shy of the sixth quadruple-double in DI history during Loyola's 68-59 win over Army at Reitz Arena in January.
- Karcz missed the second half of February's rematch after suffering an injury in the second quarter.
Scouting Army West Point
- The Black Knights (8-21, 4-14) won 3 of 5 games to end the regular season after dropping their previous eight contests.
- All three of those wins (over Loyola, Navy and Colgate) were in West Point. Army is 2-13 away from home on the year, and enters Saturday on an 11-game road losing streak.
- So. G Natalie Stralkus averaged 13.1 ppg while shooting 49.1% (28-57) from 3-point range over the final seven regular season games.
- Army ranks last in the Patriot League in points allowed (70.7 ppg), scoring margin (-8.0), blocks per game (1.8), steals per game (5.5) and turnover margin (-5.8).
Recent Playoff History
- Loyola has a 4-4 record over the past four seasons in Patriot League tournament play.
- The Greyhounds were the No. 8 seed last winter, topping Navy (58-45) in the opening round before falling at Bucknell (88-63) in the quarterfinals.
- This will be the second playoff matchup between Loyola and Army. The first was a 69-51 victory for the Black Knights in the 2016 Patriot League Championship game.
- Army was the No. 8 seed in last year's tournament, dropping a 63-61 decision to Lafayette in the opening round.
- The Black Knights have won three Patriot League titles all-time (2006, 2014, 2016); the Greyhounds' last championship was a MAAC title in 1995.
Niles Closing Her Senior Year Strong
- Hannah Niles is doing her part to extend her collegiate career, as she enters the postseason averaging 11.8 points per game over the team's last four contests.
- Niles is shooting 43.8 percent (7 for 16) from 3-point range and 80.0 percent (16 for 20) from the free throw line during that stretch.
- Her four made 3-pointers at Holy Cross on Wednesday matched a career high which was originally established on Feb. 2, 2019 at Army West Point.
- Niles is the lone Greyhounds to start all 29 games this season.
McAteer Leading the Reserves
- Emily McAteer has reached double figures in two of Loyola's last three games, averaging 10.3 points per game during that stretch,
- McAteer has totaled 10+ points eight times overall in her debut season, with six of those performances coming against Patriot League opponents. She has appeared in all 29 games, averaging 6.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest.
Quick Notes
- Loyola is 6-6 at Reitz Arena compared to a 2-15 mark at all other venues.
- 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.
- Bri Rozzi set new season highs in both assists (5) and minutes played (34) at Holy Cross on Wednesday.
- 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 Loyola's 64-54 victory over Navy.
- 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 lead the Patriot League in steals per game (9.7) and 3-point FG% defense (29.9), and they are second in turnovers forced per game (17.6).
Update From The Hounds
- Loyola University Maryland is monitoring the path of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. Additional information related to the prevention, travel and possible implications for the Loyola University Maryland community is available on our website. At this time, all Loyola Athletics events are being held as scheduled as we continue to carefully monitor all public health updates. All fans are welcome to attend our events; however, if you should feel sick, we ask that you stay home and enjoy our games via live stream at loyolagreyhounds.com. Additional information can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Looking Ahead
- Monday's quarterfinal matchup at Bucknell is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Sojka Pavilion.
