CHARLESTON, S.C. ­– Cam Spencer scored a career-high 32 points on Saturday for Loyola University Maryland, but the Greyhounds' slow start enabled College of Charleston to hold on for a 79-72 victory on its home court in the Rising Coaches Classic.
 
Spencer made 12 of 20 shots and scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half to lead all players.
 
The Greyhounds, however, did not start off on a hot note when the Cougars (3-0 overall) scored the game's first 15 points as Loyola went 0 for 9 in the game's first six minutes.
 
Once the offense picked up, the Greyhounds shot nearly 50 percent from the field, making 26 of its final 54 attempts, thanks in large part to Spencer's effort.
 
His 32 points eclipse his previous best of 24 that came in the final game of the 2019-2020 season at Lehigh University. It is also the second-straight game that a Loyola player has scored 30 after Jaylin Andrews did so on Friday afternoon in a win over South Carolina State.
 
After trailing by as many as 17 with 8:45 to go in the first half, the Greyhounds got the halftime margin down to five, 38-33 when Veljko Ilic scored with 44 seconds left in the half.
 
Golden Dike opened the second half with a basket in the paint to make it a three-point game, but College of Charleston hit threes on back-to-back possessions to move back up by nine.
 
Later, it was a 12-point Cougars lead, 68-56, on a couple of free throws with 4:04 left, but Loyola chipped away at the margin before cutting it to five on two occasions with under 30 seconds to play. Dimitrius Underwood and Reyne Smith made pairs of free throws, however, to help secure the College of Charleston win.
 
Veljko Ilic finished with 10 points, and Wade Jackson added a career-high seven. Milos Ilic had a team-best nine rebounds, while Spencer had a season-high five assists without committing a turnover.
 
The Greyhounds wrap up the Rising Coaches Classic on Sunday morning at 10:30 when they take on Lipscomb University at TD Arena.