| Game Information |
| Opponent |
Niagara Purple Eagles |
| Date |
Tuesday, November 9, 2021 |
| Time |
1:00 p.m. |
| Location |
Niagara Falls, N.Y. Â | Gallagher Center |
| Watch Online |
ESPN3 |
| Online Media |
Live Stats |
| Follow Us |
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| Game Notes |
Loyola   |
The Matchup
- A new era for Loyola women's basketball begins on Tuesday afternoon, as the Greyhounds travel to Niagara for their season opener under new head coach Danielle O'Banion.
O'Banion Begins First Season in Charge
- Danielle O'Banion was announced as the 12th head coach in program history on April 23, joining the Greyhounds after spending the past three seasons as an assistant at the University of Minnesots.
- O'Banion brings over 20 years of Division I coaching experience to Baltimore. Her teams have combined for 10 postseason appearances, including five NCAA tournaments and one trip to the Final Four during her first stint with Minnesota in 2004.
- Originally from Arlington, Virginia, O'Banion returns to the Mid-Atlantic after coaching stints at Minnesota, Memphis, Kent State and Harvard. A standout recruiter who has brought in four Top-50 classes during her career, she has also held multiple leadership positions within both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and Advocates for Athletic Equity (formerly Black Coaches and Administrators).
- This will be O'Banion's second head coaching position, as she led Kent State's program from 2012-16.
New Season, New Opportunity for Eleven Returners
- Loyola brings back 11 student-athletes, including four starters, from a squad which went 0-12 against Patriot League opponents during the regular season before falling at top-seeded Bucknell in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
- The Patriot League Council of Presidents voted during the Fall of 2020 to play only conference games starting in early January. Of the 16 dates on Loyola's initial 2020-21 schedule, the Greyhounds only played their originally scheduled opponent on four occasions due to a variety of COVID-19 issues at opposing schools.
- Emily McAteer (9.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Taleah Dixon (8.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg), who both were named to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team during their debut collegiate seasons, are Loyola's top returning scorers for the 2021-22 campaign.
Series History
- Loyola leads 34-17 in a series which dates back to 1990, including an 18-3 stretch from 1992 through 2002.
- The Greyhounds will be facing their former MAAC rivals for the first time since departing the conference for the Patriot League following the 2012-13 season.
- The teams split the season series in 2012-13, with Niagara earning a 58-47 home win on Feb. 7 while the Greyhounds won 71-68 in overtime at Reitz Arena on Jan. 31.
- Loyola's last win at Niagara was a 68-48 victory on Jan. 29, 2012.
Scouting Niagara
- The Purple Eagles went 4-7 during their abbreviated 2020-21 season, finishing eighth in the MAAC regular season standings and falling 74-65 to Siena in the first round of the MAAC tournament.
- Jr. G Angel Parker, who led the team with 15.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game last winter, was named first team Preseason All-MAAC, while Niagara was ranked seventh overall in the conference's preseason poll.
- Niagara went 10-21 (7-13 MAAC) during its last full season in 2019-20. The Purple Eagles' last winning season came in 2004-05, when the program finished 17-12 overall. Â
Senior Leaders
- Loyola's three seniors this season, Taleah Dixon, Laryn Edwards and Devyne Newman, have all been key contributors during their time with the program.
- Dixon's 376 career points are the most on the active roster. She ranked third among Patriot League freshmen in scoring at 9.7 ppg, reaching double figures in 15 of 28 appearances in 2018-19. After missing the following season due to injury, Dixon started all 13 games last winter. She led Loyola with 29 assists and was third on the team with 8.1 points per game.
- Edwards battled through injuries to appear in 12 games as a junior, tying for the team lead with 14 steals. She was Loyola's starting point guard in 2019-20, leading the Greyhounds in 3-point FG% (34.9, 22-63) and ranking second in both assists (66) and steals (34).
- Newman earned starts in 9 of 11 appearances last season after joining the program as a transfer from St. Joseph's. She reached double figures on three occasions and shot 44.9 percent on 2-point field goal attempts.
Prepping for Patriot League Play
- Tuesday's season opener will be the first of 11 non-conference games for the Greyhounds prior to their Patriot League opener against Army on Dec. 30.
- Five of those contests will take place at Reitz Arena, including an upcoming three-game homestand against George Mason (Nov. 12), Fairleigh Dickinson (Nov. 14) and UMBC (Nov. 17).
- Loyola was ranked ninth out of 10 schools in this year's Patriot League preseason poll. The Greyhounds went 8-22 (5-13 PL) during their last full season of competition in 2019-20.
Quick Notes
- Emily McAteer was one of two Greyhounds, along with Dixon to start every game last season. She scored 10+ points in 7 of 13 appearances and also led the team with 12 blocks.
- Charia Roberts finished her freshman season strong last winter, contributing 7+ points and 5+ rebounds in each of her final three games. Roberts led Loyola's rookies in both scoring (3.8 ppg) and rebounding (3.5 rpg) last winter.
- Taleah Dixon (77.8%, 98-126), Laryn Edwards (77.0%, 57-74) and Bri Rozzi (78.3%, 36-46) have all shot over 75% from the free throw line in their careers. As a team, Loyola ranked fourth in the Patriot League from the charity stripe last winter at 73.2 percent.
- Ava Therien returns to the lineup after missing the 2020-21 season due to an offseason medical condition. She appeared in 23 games as a freshman, leading the Greyhounds in field goal percentage (52.1, 50-96).
- Seven of Loyola's 13 defeats during the 2020-21 season were decided by 10 points or less.
Five Newcomers Join Program in 2021-22
- Loyola's 16-member roster includes five freshmen who will be making their collegiate debuts this winter.
- Lex Therien becomes the third Therien sister to compete for the Greyhounds, joining current junior Ava Therien and 2021 graduate Isabella.
- Lex was a two-time All-State performer at Cherokee HS in New Jersey, leading the team to a 92-10 record and ranking third in program history with 1,283 points.Â
- Therien and fellow freshman Keegan Douglas were named co-South Jersey Players of the Year during their senior high school seasons.
- Douglas totaled 1,624 points at Haddonfield HS while helping the program win three Colonial Conference championships. She was chosen as the confernce's Player of the Year in each of her final two seasons.
- Laura Salmerón joins Loyola after playing two seasons in Spain's second division basketball league. Salmerón, who also competed internationally for Spain's U-15 team, was a three-star ESPN recruit who received a 90 scouts grade.
- Jonelle Price was a key contributor at Neumann-Goretti HS in Philadelphia, helping the program win a PIAA Class 3A state title.
- Vanessa Stolstajner joins the Greyhounds as a walk-on. She was a two-time All-State performer at Cromwell HS in Connecticut, winning a Class A state title in 2019.
Smart Hounds
- Loyola posted a team grade-point average of 3.35 during the 2020-21 academic year. Kayla Sieper (3.97), Laryn Edwards (3.66), Devyne Newman (3.54) and Bri Rozzi (3.54) all have cumulative GPA's above a 3.50.
- The program has a history of academic excellence, as the Greyhounds were named to the WBCA Division I Academic Top 25 Honor Roll for five-straight seasons from 2016-20. Loyola was one of just three schools nationally to crack the top 15 academically in each of those five years.
More on O'Banion
- New head coach Danielle O'Banion was a four-year letterwinner at Boston College from 1997-2001, helping the Eagles earn their first two NCAA tournament appearances in program history.
- O'Banion has also overcome adversity off the court, as she was diagnosed with Stage 2 lymphoma cancer midway through her coaching stint at Kent State.
- She managed to coach every game while going through treatment, and she announced that her cancer was in remission six months after the diagnosis. O'Banion was presented with the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award for women's basketball at the 2016 Final Four.
Looking Ahead
- Loyola hosts George Mason in its home opener at Reitz Arena on Friday, with opening tip set for 11:30 a.m. on Field Trip Day.
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