VESTAL, N.Y. – Three different Loyola University Maryland players made 3-pointers in the final 3:20 on Wednesday night, as the Greyhounds closed the game on a 16-4 run to beat host Binghamton University, 84-70, in non-conference play.
Loyola (4-4 overall) came out of the game's final under-four timeout leading by two, 68-66, but
Isaiah Alexander started the parade of threes with on the Greyhounds' next possession.
A minute later,
Kenneth Jones was the next to sink a three, connecting with 2:14 on the clock to stretch the lead to 74-66; the eight-point gap was the biggest margin for either team to that point, and it forced the Bearcats (3-4) to call a timeout.
After a Binghamton turnover,
Chris Kuzemka knocked down his fifth three of the night, and he then scored in the paint with 81 ticks left, negating two Binghamton free throws on its last possession.
Jaylin Andrews made two at the free-throw line, and
Alonso Faure capped the win with a traditional 3-point play 24 seconds before the final buzzer.
Andrews led all players with 19 points, 11 coming on a jumper and three 3-pointers during a four-plus minute stretch in the second half. His first basket was a jumper from the free-throw line against Binghamton's zone with 10:03 on the clock, cutting the Bearcats' lead to one, 56-55. He put Loyola in front with a three on its next possession, and after the Bearcats momentarily tied the score at 58-58, he hit another three at 8:12.
His final three came at 6:44 and staked the Greyhounds to a 66-62 advantage. Andrews moved into 32
nd place all-time at Loyola in career points, becoming the 34
th Greyhounds player to top 1,100 points.
Kuzemka had a career-high scoring night for the second game in a row, scoring 18 off the bench with the benefit of five 3-pointers.
Faure made 7 of 10 shots and had was a point off his career-best with 17 points. He also had a game-high seven rebounds.
Jones connected on 6 of 10 shots and scored 13, and he posted his first collegiate double-double with a career-high 10 assists. He is the 29
th player in school history to dish out 10 assists or more in a game.
Alexander had nine points and six rebounds, while
Golden Dike chipped in with two.
Loyola had season-best shooting numbers against the Bearcats, making 56.1 percent of its shots, 70.8 in the second half. The Greyhounds were 11 of 22 from behind the arc overall, 8 of 10 after the break.
The win was the Greyhounds' second in a row and closed Loyola's four-game road trip. The Greyhounds will return to Reitz Arena on Saturday, December 3, for a 5 p.m. game against Coppin State University.
