The Matchup
- Loyola returns to action with a Wednesday night matchup at Lafayette, as the teams make up a Jan. 31 contest which was postponed by snow.
- During the first six weekends of the season, the Greyhounds have played their regularly scheduled opponent only once (Jan. 23-24 vs. American). Last weekend's games against Bucknell were postponed due to a COVID-19 positive among the Bison's Tier 1 group.
Last Time Out
- Scheduled to face Lafayette late on Friday night due to COVID-19 protocols within Navy's program, Loyola dropped a 66-57 decision to the Leopards at Reitz Arena on Jan. 30.
- Emily McAteer scored a career-high 19 points for the Greyhounds, hitting 7 of 15 shots from the field, while Laryn Edwards totaled a career-high five steals.
- McAteer also set a new career-high in assists (3), while her seven FG made matched a career best.
- Natalie Kucowski contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three blocks to lead the way for the Leopards, who shot 52.1% (25-48) from the field and 50.0% (6-12) from 3-point range.
- Loyola had a 17-8 advantage in turnovers forced, setting a new season high with nine steals, but shot just 25.9% (7-27) from 3-point range.
Numbers Adding Up for McAteer
- After her career-best performance against Lafayette, Emily McAteer has now reached double figures in four of Loyola's five games on the year.
- McAteer has started all five games for the Greyhounds while averaging 29.0 minutes per contest. She leads the team in scoring (11.4 ppg), rebounding (6.2 rpg), 3-pointers made (7) and blocks (5).
- McAteer's rebounding total ranks 11th in the Patriot League. She has grabbed 6+ boards in 4 of 5 games overall.
- McAteer was a Patriot League All-Rookie Team selection last winter after averaging 7.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in Loyola's 18 conference games.
Series History
- Lafayette holds an 11-9 advantage in a series which dates back to 1978. The Leopards swept both meetings last year, winning 55-52 (OT) in the first contest on Jan. 11 and spoiling Loyola's Senior Day with a 76-65 triumph on Feb. 22.
- Laryn Edwards had 18 points and a career-high nine rebounds in the Feb. 22 matchup for Loyola.
- One team has swept the season series in each of the seven seasons since Loyola joined the Patriot League prior to the 2013-14 campaign. Lafayette holds an overall 10-6 edge during that stretch.
Scouting Lafayette
- The Leopards (1-5, 0-4 Central) dropped a 53-46 decision to Boston U in their last contest on Sunday. Lafayette led 38-30 after three quarters but was outscored 23-8 over the final 10 minutes.
- Sr. F Natalie Kucowski (14.2 ppg), the Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year, ranks ninth in Division I with 12.0 rebounds per game. She is also the conference leader in blocks per game (2.3).
- Sr. G Drew Freeland (11.0 ppg) ranks second on the team in scoring, and she is second in DI in 3-point FG% (54.5, 12-22).
- The Leopards were ranked third in this year's Patriot League Preseason Poll. They went 15-14 (11-7 PL) last season, posting the program's first winning record since the 1997-98 team went 15-13.
Quick Notes
- Loyola's team FT percentage of 76.1 ranks third in the Patriot League and 31st overall in Division I. Taleah Dixon leads the team in FT attempts, and she is shooting 80.0% (16-20) through the season's first five games. Emily McAteer has hit 6 of 7 attempts from the line (85.7%).
- Edwards' five steals against Lafayette were the most by a Loyola player since 2020 NCAA DI steals leader Stephanie Karcz had nine in her final collegiate game against Army in last year's Patriot League tournament opening round.
- Loyola had three players score 10+ points in a game for the first time this season against Lafayette. Dixon (12 points) and Isabella Therien (10) joined McAteer (19) in double figures.
- Loyola's opponents have scored over 60 points in four of the first five games. The Greyhounds were 0-18 when that happened last season, compared to an 8-4 mark when keeping teams under 60 points.
- Delaney Connolly's 13 points off the bench on Jan. 24 against American were the most by a Loyola reserve on the year. The Greyhounds bench has been limited to 31 points combined in the season's other four contests.
Smart Hounds
- Loyola managed a collective team GPA of 3.545 during the 2020 fall semester, with 12 Greyhounds finishing with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Senior Isabella Therien recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA for a second-straight semester. A business administration major, she raised her overall GPA to 3.73.
- Fellow senior Delaney Connolly holds a 3.96 GPA while majoring in chemistry and studying to become an orthopedic surgeon. Connolly became the first in program history to earn Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades last winter, and she was also the first CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree for the program since 2006.
- I. Therien, Laryn Edwards (business administration major, 3.934), Kayla Sieper (undeclared, 3.934), Bri Rozzi (communication, 3.918) and Connolly (3.912) all recorded GPA's over 3.90 during the fall semester.
Long Road Back
- After missing a majority of the last two seasons due to injury, 2018 Patriot League Rookie of the Year Isabella Therien returned to the Loyola lineup on Saturday, Jan. 23 vs. American.
- Therien, who was limited to two reserve appearances last year, has averaged 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in her first three starts since Jan. 23, 2019.
- Therien averaged 14.9 points per game across her first two collegiate seasons, reaching double figures in 34 of 42 appearances and totaling 20+ points on eight occasions. Her 396 points as a freshmen led all Patriot League rookies, and were the most for a Loyola freshman during the 16-year tenure of head coach Joe Logan.
Patriot League Announces Format Changes for 2020-21 Season
- In response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, the Patriot League has instituted several changes to the basketball schedule for this season, including the separation of schools into three divisions to limit team travel. Loyola is grouped with American and Navy in the newly-created South division.
- Loyola's first four matchups against both American and Navy will count in the divisional standings, which will be used to determine seeding in this year's conference tournament.
- Eight teams will qualify for the conference tournament, rather than the usual 10. Winners of each division will be seeded 1-3, while second-place teams will be seeded 4-6. The final two spots will be awarded based on overall win percentage against PL opponents.
Patriot League Begins Partnership with ESPN+
- The Patriot League announced in September a multi-year agreement which makes ESPN+ the exclusive digital home for the conference's sporting events, beginning with the 2020-21 academic year.
- All Loyola women's basketball games this season will be available on ESPN+, which can be purchased for either $5.99 a month or $49.99 annually. Fans can also subscribe to ESPN+ as part of the Disney Bundle, which includes Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) for just $12.99/month.
- More information regarding how to watch the Greyhounds on ESPN+ is available HERE.
Looking Ahead
- Loyola's next opponent will be announced at a later date, with several games on the upcoming schedule currently affected by COVID-19 protocols.
