BALTIMORE – A pair of Spaniards,
Santi Aldama and
Alonso Faure, posted double-doubles on Sunday, and the Loyola University Maryland men's basketball team scored a 75-62 victory over Lafayette College on Sunday afternoon in Reitz Arena.
Aldama had 21 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double in four games, while Faure tallied the first of his collegiate career with career-highs of 13 points and a game-best 12 rebounds.
Isaiah Hart and
Brandon Bradsher combined for 17 of their 19 points in the second half, as well.
Loyola (1-5 overall) led by 13, 30-17, on a
Golden Dike basket with 7:29 to go in the first half before the Leopards went on a 20-2 run to close the frame and lead 37-32 at the half.
Tyrone Perry tied the game at 32-32 with a three for Lafayette (5-4) with 80 seconds left in the second half, and E.J. Stephens then hit a transition three with 46 ticks left to give the Leopards a 35-32 advantage.
Another Perry three just 39 seconds into the office made it 40-32 Lafayette, but Aldama responded with a three for Loyola 20 seconds later. Another Aldama three with 14:28 on the clock made it a two-point Leopards lead, but Lafayette scored the next four to lead by six on a Neal Quinn basket two minutes later.
Aldama then fed Faure for a dunk with 12:38 left, sparking an 18-4 run that saw the Greyhounds go up 60-52 on a Bradsher three with 6:22 left in the game. Loyola led by at least five points for the remainder of the game following that basket.
The Greyhounds held Lafayette to shooting 36.7 percent from the field, nearly eight points lower than its season average. The Leopards shot 32.3 percent from the field in the second half and made just 2 of 8 from 3-point range after the break.
Loyola had a 42-31 advantage on the boards in the game, fueled by the combined 22 by Aldama and Faure.
Luke Johnson doubled his previous career-high with six rebounds, and
Golden Dike had five.
The teams meet again on Monday night when Loyola heads to Easton, Pennsylvania for a 7 o'clock game on the Leopards' home floor.
