Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Loyola University Maryland Athletics

Scoreboard

Taleah Dixon
Larry French

Women's Basketball

Women's Basketball Heads to Ohio for Saturday Matchup at Toledo

Taleah Dixon
Game Information
Opponent Toledo Rockets
Date Saturday, December 11, 2021
Time 2:00 p.m.
Location Toledo, Ohio  | Savage Arena
Watch Online ESPN3
Online Media Live Stats
Follow Us Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Game Notes Loyola  Get Acrobat Reader


The Matchup
  • Loyola women's basketball hits the road for its final two non-conference games of the season, beginning with a weekend trip to Ohio to take on Toledo.

Last Time Out

  • Laura Salmerón scored 15 of her season-high 18 points in the second half, but a large early deficit was too much for Loyola to overcome in a 64-55 defeat to Morgan State on Wednesday.
  • The Greyhounds rallied to take the lead in the third quarter after trailing 26-6 early on.
  • The visiting Bears (6-4), though, closed the game on a 13-4 run to hold on for their sixth-consecutive victory.
  • Lex Therien contributed eight points and 13 boards, Taleah Dixon finished with nine points and Bri Rozzi dished out a career-high six assists for Loyola.
  • Dahnye Redd led Morgan State with 15 points, while Ashia McCalla supplied 14 points and six rebounds.
  • The two Baltimore schools were facing each other for the first time since the 1984-85 season.

Breakout Half for Salmerón

  • Laura Salmerón was on fire during the final 20 minutes on Wednesday, hitting 6 of 7 field goal attempts overall and going 3 for 4 from 3-point range.
  • Salmerón played the entire second half while surpassing her previous scoring high of 15, which was set in a 68-59 OT victory over Fairleigh Dickinson on November 14.
  • For the year, Salmerón has started 8 of 9 games in her debut collegiate season. She has reached double figures in four of those contests, she leads the team in minutes played (33.3 per game), and she ranks tied for second in assists (19).

Series History

  • This will be just the second meeting between the two teams.
  • Toledo earned a 61-45 victory during the only previous matchup, a neutral-site contest played at Vanderbilt on Nov. 28, 1999.
  • This will be Loyola's first game against a MAC opponent since Nov. 16, 2001, when the Greyhounds opened the regular season with a 69-57 victory at Akron.

Scouting Toledo

  • The Rockets (4-2) are coming off a dominant 86-33 home victory over St. Francis (Pa.) on Wednesday. Toledo is 2-0 at home this season, also topping Wright State by a 73-56 final on Nov. 13.
  • Jr. G/F Quinesha Lockett, a third team All-MAC selection last season, is ranked 17th in Division I in points per game (20.3), and she is 22nd nationally in 3's per game (3.0). She scored 20+ points in each of Toledo's first four contests on the year.
  • Jr. G Sophia Wiard leads the MAC and ranks 17th in Division I in assist to turnover ratio (3.11).
  • Toledo was ranked eighth out of 12 schools in the 2021-22 MAC Preseason poll. The Rockets finished last season with an overall record of 12-12 (8-12 MAC).

Quick Hits from Morgan State

  • Bri Rozzi's six assists were the most by a Loyola player this season. Her previous career best was five, a mark she had reached on two separate occasions.
  • Lex Therien's 13 rebounds matched a season high, as she grabbed double-digit boards for a fourth time on the year.
  • The Greyhounds out-rebounded their opponent (35-29) for a fifth time in the last seven games.
  • Making her third-consecutive start, Devyne Newman set new season highs in minutes played (28), points (7) and rebounds (5). She his 3 of 6 shots from the field.
  • The Greyhounds' 15 assists tied a season best, though their 22 turnovers were also a new season high.
  • Ava Therien, making her second appearance of the season, contributed a season-high four points (1-1 FG, 2-2 FT) in seven minutes off the bench.
  • Loyola saw a three-game winning streak at Reitz Arena come to an end. The Greyhounds are now 3-2 at home this season.

Therien Earns Second Rookie of the Week Award

  • Lex Therien was announced as the Patriot League's top rookie for a second time in the last three weeks on Monday. She averaged 13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds during a 1-1 week for the Greyhounds, scoring in double figures in both contests.
  • Therien reached double figures for a sixth time in eight games during Saturday's 56-55 win over Mount St. Mary's, and she scored a season-high 14 points (6-10 FG) in last Wednesday's two-point loss at Howard.
  • Therien has grabbed 6+ rebounds in every contest this season. She ranks third in the Patriot League in rebounds per game (9.7) and posted double-doubles during matchups against Fairleigh Dickinson (Nov. 14) and Hofstra (Nov. 20).

Dixon Leading the Offense

  • Taleah Dixon has reached double figures in 7 of 9 games this season. She scored a season-high 23 points (8-16 FG, 3-7 3FG) in last Saturday's win over the Mount. 
  • Dixon's 13.4 points per game lead Loyola and are ranked ninth overall in the Patriot League.
  • Dixon also paces the Greyhounds in both free throw percentage (86.4, 38-44) and 3-point FG percentage (40.6, 13-32). She is fourth among Patriot League shooters and 65th nationally in FT%.
  • Dixon is one of three team captains for Loyola this season, along with Laryn Edwards and Bri Rozzi.

Balanced Attack

  • Loyola's four leading scorers are all averaging between 9.7 and 13.4 points per game (Taleah Dixon - 13.4, Lex Therien - 10.1, Bri Rozzi - 10.0, Laura Salmerón - 9.7), and Charia Roberts is close behind at 8.3 points per contest.
  • Those five players have combined to score in double figures 26 times on the year.

Down to the Wire

  • Saturday's matchup against the Mount was the sixth time in nine contests this season that Loyola has been in a one-possession game during the final minute of regulation.
  • The Greyhounds are now 3-3 in those contests after previously managing comeback victories over FDU (68-59, OT) and UMBC (63-57).
  • Loyola is 1-3 in games decided by three points or fewer following previous last-second defeats to George Mason (53-51), Hofstra (55-53) and Howard (61-59).
  • The Greyhounds have been tied or led in the fourth quarter in eight of nine games this season under first year head coach Danielle O'Banion.

Worth Noting

  • With her 23 points last Saturday, Taleah Dixon became the first Greyhound to score 20+ points in a game since Feb. 13, 2021 (Isabella Therien - 21 pts vs. Navy).
  • Dixon totaled 20+ points for the fourth time in her collegiate career, and the first time since she had a career-best 26 during the 2019 Patriot League quarterfinals at Bucknell.
  • Bri Rozzi has played all 40 minutes twice this season (12/4 vs. Mount St. Mary's, 11/17 vs. UMBC).
  • Charia Roberts leads Loyola in FG percentage through eight games, hitting 43.5 percent (27 for 62) of her shots from the floor.
  • Loyola's 63-57 win over UMBC on Nov. 17 was the program's first victory after trailing by 14+ points in the second half since Feb. 10, 2012 vs. Iona (66-60). 
  • Loyola's overtime victory over FDU on Nov. 14 was the program's first in extra time since Jan. 2, 2017 at Lafayette. The Greyhounds are now 3-9 in OT dating back to March 4, 2011.

O'Banion Continues 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.

Looking Ahead

  • The Greyhounds conclude their non-conference schedule with a 2 p.m. matchup at St. Francis Brooklyn on Thursday, Dec. 23.
  • Patriot League play begins with a 7 p.m. home game against Army West Point on Dec. 30.
 

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Isabella Therien

#13 Isabella Therien

Forward
6' 1"
Senior
Taleah Dixon

#4 Taleah Dixon

Guard
5' 10"
Senior
Laryn Edwards

#2 Laryn Edwards

Guard
5' 6"
Senior
Devyne Newman

#5 Devyne Newman

Guard
5' 8"
Senior
Charia Roberts

#21 Charia Roberts

Forward
6' 0"
Sophomore
Bri Rozzi

#22 Bri Rozzi

Guard
5' 7"
Junior
Ava Therien

#35 Ava Therien

Forward
5' 10"
Junior
Lex Therien

#45 Lex Therien

Forward
6' 1"
Freshman
Laura Salmerón

#15 Laura Salmerón

Guard
5' 8"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Isabella Therien

#13 Isabella Therien

6' 1"
Senior
Forward
Taleah Dixon

#4 Taleah Dixon

5' 10"
Senior
Guard
Laryn Edwards

#2 Laryn Edwards

5' 6"
Senior
Guard
Devyne Newman

#5 Devyne Newman

5' 8"
Senior
Guard
Charia Roberts

#21 Charia Roberts

6' 0"
Sophomore
Forward
Bri Rozzi

#22 Bri Rozzi

5' 7"
Junior
Guard
Ava Therien

#35 Ava Therien

5' 10"
Junior
Forward
Lex Therien

#45 Lex Therien

6' 1"
Freshman
Forward
Laura Salmerón

#15 Laura Salmerón

5' 8"
Freshman
Guard