The Matchup
- Loyola University Maryland women's basketball wraps up a two-game road trip on Wednesday, January 12, when it heads to Easton, Pennsylvania, for a game at Lafayette College.
- Game time is set for 6 p.m. with live streaming on ESPN+ from the Kirby Sports Center.
Last Time Out
- Lex Therien recorded career-highs of 23 points and 14 rebounds, posting her second-straight double-double, on Saturday, but Bucknell used an 8-0 run to close the first half en route to a 62-42 Patriot League victory at Sojka Pavilion.
- Therien, who had 13 points and 11 rebounds Wednesday night against Boston University, scored all nine of Loyola's points in the first quarter and then had 11 points and seven boards by halftime.
- Her first quarter helped Loyola keep pace with the Bison as Loyola trailed by just a point, 10-9, after the opening 10 minutes. Bucknell opened up a pair of five-point leads in the next stanza, the second time coming on a Carly Krsul layup at 6:42.
- Keegan Douglas drained a three from the right corner for the Greyhounds at 3:49, pulling Loyola within a pair, 20-18, but Julie Kulesza responded with a three 16 seconds later, sparking the run that Bucknell would use to close the half up 10, 28-18. Therien had a steal and transition layup 44 seconds into the third quarter, and after a Bri Rozzi steal, she had another bucket in the paint at 8:38, and the Greyhounds were back within six. The teams traded field goals over the next three minutes, and Therien converted at 5:38 to make it 32-26 Bucknell, but the Bison then went on a 10-0 run to break the game open and lead by double figures the remainder of the way.
- Taleah Dixon added six points for the Greyhounds, and Douglas had five off the bench. Rozzi dished out a team-best four assists, and Caramina Tañedo added three. Therien also had two blocked shots and a pair of steals for the Greyhounds.
- Three Bison scored in double figures, led by Krsul's 14 off the bench. Cecelia Collins added 12, and Taylor O'Brien scored 10.
Rookie Honors
- Lex Therien was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week on January 10 after averaging 18 points and 12.5 rebounds in games against Boston Univesrity and Bucknell. The award was her third of the season and fourth this year for Loyola (Laura Salmerón).
Therien Among Tops In Nation In Rebounding
- Lex Therien has made an immediate impact in her debut season, ranking second on the team in scoring (11.4 ppg) and first in rebounding. Her 9.9 rebounds per game are third overall among Patriot League players.
- She is 36th nationally in rebounds per game and ranks No. 2 amongst NCAA Division I freshmen with 9.9 rebounds per game, trailing only DePaul's Aneesah Morrow (11.9). Therien checks in at No. 29 in defensive rebounds per game (7.2).
- Therien is a three-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week, earning the award on Nov. 22, Dec. 6 and Jan. 10. She has scored in double figures in 9 of 12 games on the year, producing a season-high 23 points on January 8 at Bucknell.
- Therien has grabbed 6+ rebounds in every contest this season, and she posted double-doubles against Fairleigh Dickinson (Nov. 14) and Hofstra (Nov. 20) in back-to-back games early in the year; she then had a similar feat in the Greyhounds' two most-recent games, against Boston University and at Bucknell. In the game versus the Bison, she posted a career-high 14 rebounds.
Threes And Freebies
- Loyola enters Wednesday's game at Lafayette ranked No. 2 in the Patriot League in both free-throw percentage (75.0%) and 3-point field goal percentage (34.6%).
Dixon Leads In Scoring Average
- Taleah Dixon's 11.9 points per game lead Loyola and rank 11th overall in the Patriot League. She scored a season-high 23 points (8-16 FG, 3-7 3FG) in a Dec. 4 win over Mount St. Mary's.
- Dixon also paces the Greyhounds in both free throw percentage (86.4, 38-44) and 3-point FG percentage (41.7, 15-36). She is third among Patriot League shooters and 46th nationally in FT%.
- Dixon is one of three team captains for Loyola this season, along with Laryn Edwards and Bri Rozzi.
'Ria Stepping Up
- Sophomore Charia Roberts saw limited action as a freshman during the shortened 2020-2021 season, playing in 13 games and averaging 3.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game.
- This season, however, Roberts has averaged 28.7 minutes per game while starting all 12 contests, and she has responded with 8.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.
- The Baltimore County native has scored eight or more points in eight games, and she has grabbed five or more rebounds seven times.
Using the Opportunity
- Caramina Tañedo had played just 22 minutes over her previous seven appearances, but the sophomore made the most of extended playing time of the year to-date in the Greyhounds' Patriot League opener against Boston University.
- She equaled those 22 minutes and scored a career-high 12 points, making four of the six 3-pointers she attempted. Her 12 points eclipsed her previous high of eight from the Greyhounds' season-opener at Niagara where she scored eight.
Salmerón Named Patriot League Rookie of the Week
- Laura Salmerón was announced as the conference's top rookie on Dec. 13 following a pair of double-digit scoring performances.
- Salmerón averaged 14.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals in Loyola's last two games, including a season-best 18-points (7-11 FG, 4-7 3FG) during a Dec. 8 matchup against Morgan State.
- Her four 3-pointers against the Bears were the most by a Loyola player this season.
- Salmerón added 10 points at Toledo, reaching double figures for a fifth time in 10 games during her debut season. She also leads Loyola and ranks 14th in the Patriot League in minutes per game (31.0).
Worth Noting
- The Greyhounds have been tied or led in the fourth quarter in eight of 12 games this season under first year head coach Danielle O'Banion.
- With her 23 points on Dec. 4 against the Mount, Taleah 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.
- 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.
Balanced Attack
Four Newcomers Join Program in 2021-22
- Loyola's 15-member roster includes four 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.
- 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 conference'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.
Smart Hounds
- Loyola posted a team grade-point average of 3.35 during the 2020-21 academic year. 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.
