Game Information
Opponent	Boston University Terriers
Game Notes	Loyola
Date	Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Time	7:00 p.m.
Location	Baltimore, Md. | Reitz Arena
Directions	Click Here | Spectator Information
Watch	ESPN+ | International Video Stream
Online Media	Live Stats

Quick Hits About The Hounds

• Loyola University Maryland men's basketball returns to Reitz Arena for the first of two-straight home games on Wednesday, January 19, against Boston University.
• Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will stream live on ESPN+.
• The game will be Loyola's seventh in a 16-day stretch and seventh of eight in a 23-day span to open Patriot League action.
• Cam Spencer leads the Patriot League in both points (19.1) and steals (2.1) per game as of January 18. He also tops the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.3:1), a stat that ranks him No. 8 in NCAA Division I.
• Spencer is 31st nationally in steals per game, while Jaylin Andrews ranks 43rd with 1.9. They are one-two in the conference ins teals.
• Kenneth Jones tops the conference in assists per game (5.2) and is No. 33 nationally in that category..
• As a team, the Greyhounds rank 33rd nationally in assists per game (16.3).
• The Greyhounds have the top scoring duo in the Patriot League with Spencer and Jaylin Andrews (15.1). Together, they average 34.2 points per game.
• Tavaras Hardy is in his fourth season on the Loyola sidelines after he was named the 21st head coach in Loyola men's basketball history on March 28, 2018.

Series History Versus Boston University    

• Loyola and Boston University will meet for the 21st time overall and 20th in the last 11 seasons when they take the floor on Wednesday. The Terriers hold a 13-7 record in the all-time series, but Loyola won the first meeting between the teams this season, 66-58, on January 7.
• The Greyhounds took a 27-17 halftime lead and never trailed in the game. Cam Spencer scored 19 for the Greyhounds, while Jaylin Andrews had 12 and Kenneth Jones added 10.

Last Time Out    

• Cam Spencer and Jaylin Andrews combined for 30 of their 43 points in the second half, as Loyola overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to beat host Lehigh, 69-57, at Stabler Arena on Sunday evening,
• Spencer finished with a game-high 26 points, and Andrews added 17 as the duo helped the Loyola offense recover from a first half in which it shot 34.4 percent from the field; the Greyhounds made 16 of 29 shots (55.2 percent) after the break.
• After the break, Lehigh could not find the shooting space it had in the first half, making only 8 of 21 shots from the field and just 1 of 8 from 3-point range. Loyola also converted eight second-half Mountain Hawks turnovers into 13 points.
• Lehigh, which entered the night tied with Loyola and Navy for first place in the Patriot League, led by 11 after an Evan Taylor free throw at 14:28, but Andrews scored off an offensive rebound at 13:01, and Spencer caught a feed from his former high school teammate and splashed a three 43 seconds later to pull the Greyhounds within six.
• Spencer then floated a jumper in the paint at 11:35, and it was 43-39 Lehigh, but Taylor would step back and hit a jumper for the Mountain Hawks at 11:23. Golden Dike, who scored a season-high 10 points, scored on a soft hook less than a minute later, and Andrews hit two free throws on the Greyhounds' next possession. Dike came up with a steal on a post entry pass on defense, and Kenneth Jones then slipped a pass to him in the paint, and he scored at 9:48 to tie the game for the first time.
• Neither Lehigh, nor Loyola would score for the next 1:59 until Andrews made two free throws to give Loyola its first lead of the game, 47-45, at 7:49. It would end up being a lead the Greyhounds would not relinquish.
• Spencer converted a baseline step-back at 6:55, and after a Lehigh three went off the mark, Dike drove the right side of the paint and scored at 6:12 to extend the lead to six. Taylor, who had a team-high 20 points for the Mountain Hawks, drove to score at 5:53, pulling Lehigh back within four, but Andrews used a Spencer feed and knocked down a three at 5:37. Taylor again scored for the Mountain Hawks, but this time Andrews tallied three the traditional way with an and-one at 4:50.
• Lehigh again misfired on a 3-point attempt, and Dike scored his eighth point of the half with a layup at 4:05 that pushed the lead to 10, 59-49. The Mountain Hawks would not get closer than eight the rest of the game.

Playing From Ahead Or Behind    

• During its current five-game winning streak, the Greyhounds trailed for just six minutes, 13 seconds of the possible 160 minutes in the first four contests. In the win at Lehigh, the Greyhounds overcame a 12-point deficit to post the win.
• Loyola led wire-to-wire at Boston University, trailed for 33 seconds against Lafayette, 1:26 versus Bucknell and 4:11 in the Holy Cross game. The Crusaders were the only team to lead in the second half.

Stats On The Start    

• Loyola is off to its best start in Patriot League play at 5-1 since joining the conference in 2013-14. The Greyhounds twice started 3-2 through five games, doing so in 2013-14 and 2015-16, but each time they lost their sixth game.
• Overall, at 11-6, Loyola is off to its best start through 17 games since it went 12-5 during the 2012-2013 season.

Spencer Named To Lou Henson Award Watch List    

• Last week, Cam Spencer became the first player in Loyola history to earn a spot on the Lou Henson Award Midseason Watch List. The junior guard was one of 40 players – one of two in the Patriot League (John Carter, Navy) – to be listed as midseason candidates for the mid-major player of the year honor.

Spencer To The Top    

• Cam Spencer has asserted himself this season as one of the top players in the Patriot League, leading the conference, as of games of January 18, in points (19.1)and steals (2.1) per game. In 17 games this season, the junior guard has scored 324 points and has scored in double figures in all 17.
• He is also fourth in the conference in assists per game (3.7), and he ranks eighth in all of NCAA Division I with a 3.3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• This year's start has come after Spencer played just 28 of 49 games over his first two seasons at Loyola due to injury, and the Greyhounds were only 4-17 in games he did not play during that stretch. In his 45 career games, Loyola is 28-17 in games he has played, as he averages 13.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He has a career 3.1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Spencer has scored 20 or more points seven times this year, logging 26 or higher five times. He set a to-date career-high with 32 points at College of Charleston and came back the next day to score 23 against Lipscomb on November 14.
• He went for 26, making 12 of 12 free throws, versus Mount St. Mary's on December 4, a point total he would equal on January 1 in the Patriot League opener at Army West Point, again on January 10 versus Bucknell and once more on January 17 at Lehigh.
• Spencer missed the 2020-2021 season's first 12 games recovering from off-season surgery, but he made his presence felt in the Greyhounds last five games. He came off the bench in each of the last two regular-season games, scoring 10 while logging three rebounds, two assists and two steals on February 27 in 17 minutes. Spencer then had 11 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes the following day. He made his first start of the year in the Patriot League Quarterfinal, playing 33 minutes while scoring 10 to go with seven assists, five rebounds and two steals.
• Spencer raised his minutes played to 35 in the semifinal against Army West Point, posting to-date season-highs with 16 points and seven rebounds. In the five games, Spencer averaged 11.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
• During his freshman campaign of 2019-2020, Spencer averaged 10.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 23 games. He had a 3.8:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Dishing    

• Kenneth Jones now leads the Patriot League with 5.2 assists per game and has averaged 5.9 in the last 12 Loyola contests. This season, Jones has six games with seven or more assists, the first six of his career. Loyola is third in the conference lead with 16.3 assists per game.
• Jones' 5.2 assists per game mark is the highest by a Loyola player since Jason Rowe averaged 5.75 in 28 games during the 1998-99 season.
• As a team, the Greyhounds have recorded 20 or more assists five times this season (24 versus Elizabethtown, 22 against Chicago State, 21 at St. Bonaventure, 20 at Army West Point and 21 versus Holy Cross). Loyola is 29th nationally in assists per game.
• Per KenPom.com, the Greyhounds dish out assists on 61.9 percent of their made baskets, the 19th-highest percentage in NCAA Division I this year.
• In Tavaras Hardy's three-plus years as Loyola's head coach, the Greyhounds have 15 games with 20 or more assists. In the prior eight years, they had just three such games.
• Cam Spencer and Jones both had seven assists December 1 in the Greyhounds' win over Chicago State, the first time two Loyola players have reached that total in the same game in at least a decade.
• Jones tallied a career-best nine assists in the Patriot League opener at Army West Point, finishing one away from his first career double-double. He then had the same assist total on January 13 against Lafayette.

Shooting The Difference    

• Shooting success has played a pivotal role in Loyola's wins and losses this season, bared out by statistics.
• The Greyhounds have shot 47.8 percent from the field in their 11 victories, 35.9 percent from 3-point range. Meanwhile, they are shooting 40.8 percent, overall, in six losses, while their 3-point average dips to 28.1 percent.
• Individually, Loyola has had better balance in its scoring during the wins where Cam Spencer and Jaylin Andrews are averaging 18.5 and 16.7 points per game, respectively, in the victories, while Kenneth Jones is at 8.9 points. In the six losses, Spencer has averaged 20.2 points, Andrews 11.6 and no other player more than eight per game.

Don't Forget The Defense    

• The Greyhounds' defense has been putting in the work, too, during the wins. Loyola has limited opponents to 39.6 percent from the field in its 11 wins, 30.9 percent from 3-point range. Meanwhiile, teams have shot 47 perecnt in the six Loyola losses, 36.6 percent from behind the arc.

Sticky Fingers    

• Thanks to Cam Spencer and Jaylin Andrews ranking one-two in the Patriot League in steals per game at 2.1 and 1.9, respectively, Loyola is second in the Patriot League with 7.9 steals per game.

On The Right Track    

• Kenneth Jones has been a consistent member of the Greyhounds' rotation throughout his career, averaging 20.8 minutes over 76 games heading into his senior season. This year, however, Jones has stepped into the role of a full-time starter and seen his minutes, and production, soar.
• Through 17 games, he has averaged 33.4 minutes per game, while producing 8.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per contest, all career-highs. He has a 2.2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio that ranks fourth in the Patriot League and is a career-high, as well. His 5.2 assists are 33rd in NCAA Division I.
• Jones is averaging 6.3 assists in six Patriot League games this year, and his total of 38 dimes are 15 more than any other player in conference play.
• Over his career, Jones has played in 93 games, starting 27, and averages 6.4 points and 2.6 assists per game. His 246 career assists rank No. 18 in school history.

Stepping Into A Leading Role    

• Jaylin Andrews was the Greyhounds' top returning scorer this year, after averaging 11.6 points per game as a junior in the shortened 2020-2021 season, and he showed his ability to step into a leading role during Loyola's 2021-2022 opener at North Carolina. Andrews started his senior year with a team-high 17 points, knocking down 4 of 8 shots from 3-point range.
• Andrews then blew up for a career-high 30 points on November 12 against South Carolina State, going 11 of 15 from the field and 5 of 7 from 3-point range. The 30 points exceeded his previous career-best of 25 points from January 2020 against American.
• During Andrews' nine most-recent games, he has scored 11 or more in each contest, averaging 17.0 points per outing.
• Andrews continued his climb as a consistent scorer and rebounder for the Greyhounds during the 2020-2021 season. He went for 13 points twice during the first two games of the year before breaking out for 22 on January 24 against American.
• He averaged 14.3 points during the Patriot League Championships, scoring 17 in the quarterfinal at Navy and 20 in the title game at Colgate. Overall, Andrews wrapped up his junior campaign by averaging 11.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in the 17 contests.
• Through 95 career games, of which he has started 71, Andrews is averaging 9.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

First In The First    

• The offseason news out of Loyola basketball was monumental as the Greyhounds had their first-ever NBA First Round Draft Pick when Santi Aldama was selected No. 30 by the Memphis Grizzlies after spending two seasons with the Greyhounds.
• Aldama was just the second Loyola player to be selected in the modern NBA Draft after Mike Morrison was a second-round pick in 1988. He also became the fourth Patriot League player drafted and third in the first round.
• Aldama's contributions will be missed by the Greyhounds as he was the only player in the NBA to average more than 18 points, eight rebounds, two assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game last year (per SportsReference.com).
• The sophomore from the Canary Islands of Spain finished 12th in NCAA Division I in scoring (21.2 ppg) and 14th in rebounds (10.1).

Up Next    

• Loyola closes out a stretch of four home games out of five on Saturday, January 22, when it hosts American University in a 2 p.m. contest.
• The Greyhounds then head out on the road for back-to-back appearances on CBS Sports Network. They will first play at Colgate University on Monday, January 24 at 7 p.m. before traveling to Bucknell University on Sunday, January 30 at 6 p.m.