The Matchup
- Loyola University Maryland women's basketball returns to Baltimore for its second home Patriot League game of the season when it hosts Lehigh University at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 15.
- The action will stream live on ESPN+ from Reitz Arena.
Staying Busy
- Saturday's game is the fourth out of seven the Greyhounds will play during a 15-day stretch from January 5-19.
- The span includes a game at College of the Holy Cross that was added on Monday, January 17, as a rescheduling of the contest slated for January 2.
- Moreover, of those seven games during the 15 days, five are on the road.
Last Time Out
- Lafayette used a 19-4 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters Wednesday night, a stretch that would carry the host Leopards to a 48-39 win over Loyola in Patriot League action.
- Lex Therien recorded her third-straight double-double for the Greyhounds, and fifth of the season, with 16 points and a career-best 15 rebounds.
- Taleah Dixon grabbed a rebound out past the free throw line on the defensive end of the floor and pulled up from 18 feet in transition to sink a jumper and give the Greyhounds a 31-27 lead with just over a minute to play in the third quarter. Lafayette's Claire Gallagher, however, knocked down a three with 45 ticks to go in the frame, starting the run and getting the Leopards within a point going into the fourth.
- Abby Antognoli's three just 20 seconds into the fourth put the Leopards on top, 33-31, but Dixon converted another jumper 17 seconds later to knot the score. Nicole Johnson made another three for Lafayette – the Leopards had started the game 1 of 15 from beyond the arc until Gallagher's three late in the third – put it in front for good at 8:37.
- Caramino Tañedo scored on a layup with 6:02 on the clock to get Loyola back within two, 38-36, but it was as close as the Greyhounds would get the remainder of the way.
- Therien led all players in points and rebounds as the only other scorer in double-figures Wednesday was Lafayette's Jessica Booth with 12.
- Loyola had a 39-33 advantage on the boards.
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 University 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, and with three-straight double-doubles, she now leads the Greyhounds in both points (11.8) and rebounds (10.3) per game.
- Her 10.3 rebounds per game lead the Patriot League and are No. 27 in NCAA Division I this season. She also ranks No. 2 amongst freshmen nationally in rebounds per game, trailing only DePaul's Aneesah Morrow (11.9).
- Per HerHoopStats.com, Therien and Morrow are the only two freshmen in Division I averaging a double-double this season, and they are two of 31 players of all years to do so.
- Therien's five double-doubles are the most by a Loyola freshman since Stephanie Karcz equaled that number in 2016-17.
- 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 posted double-doubles in the Greyhounds' last three games. In the game versus Bucknell, she posted a then-career-high 14 rebounds only to extend that high to 15 the following game at Lafayette.
Dixon Second In Scoring Average
- Taleah Dixon's 11.4 points per game are second on Loyola and rank 15th 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 (84.8, 39-46) and 3-point FG percentage (38.5, 15-39). She is fourth among Patriot League shooters and 52nd 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 28.5 minutes per game while starting all 12 contests, and she has responded with 8.2 points and 4.8 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 nine of 13 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.
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.
