Baltimore, MD – The Loyola Greyhounds hosted the Niagara Purple Eagles on Monday to kick-off their season. The Greyhounds would jump out to a first half lead, but a big third quarter for Niagara would lead them to an 64-55 win.
It was a fast-paced start to the game, with both teams applying pressure full-court. The Greyhounds were able to break the press early, as
Bri Rozzi and Koi Sims were able to convert on lay-ups, as the Greyhounds led 7-4 early.
Emma Glezen provided a quick spark off the bench, as she converted on a jump shot, followed by drawing a charge on the defensive end of the floor. The pace continued to be fast paced the rest of the quarter, as Koi Sims closed out the first quarter with a blocked shot and followed it up with a layup in the waning seconds as the Greyhounds took a 17-11 lead at the end of the first.
The Greyhounds picked up where they left off in the second quarter, as
Lex Therien found Sims on a nice bounce pass in the paint to extend their lead. From there, the Greyhounds would add to their lead, as they led by as many as 7 points as they led 22-15. But the Purple Hawks would battle back, as they went on a 6-0 run to get the score back to within one point. Teams would go on to trade baskets, as the Purple Eagles tied up the game 26-26 with 3 minutes left in the first half.
Emma Glezen would draw her second charge of the night on an attempted Niagara fast break. The Greyhounds answered on the next possession with a Rozzi fast break layup to retake the lead 29-28 with 1:07 remaining in the half. From there, the Greyhounds managed to pick up a basket from freshman Meliah Van-Otoo and
Lex Therien to take a 33-28 halftime lead.
Niagara started the second half hot, as they went on an 11-0 run to take an 39-33 lead early in the 3
rd quarter. Meliah Van-Otoo would end the Greyhound draught, as she scored on a floater, off of an assist from
Emma Glezen. The Purple Eagles were able to maintain momentum throughout the majority of the third quarter, as they managed to build up their lead to as many as 11 points as they led 48-37 with 2:30 remaining in the 3
rd quarter. After sinking a pair of free-throws to get it back under a ten-point deficit,
Lex Therien secured her first double-double of the season. The Greyhounds would inch their way back into the game, as another Koi Sims layup, off an assist from Cristina Garcia got the deficit back to single digits. The Greyhounds defense followed it up with another
Emma Glezen charge kept the deficit with ten points. Niagara would sink a pair of free-throws with the quarter winding down to take a 53-42 third quarter lead.
Taleah Dixon got the quarter started strong for the Greyhounds by hitting the Greyhounds first three-pointer of the game. Niagara would answer with a layup of their own to make it a 55-45 Niagara lead with 7:52 left in the game. Both teams would trade baskets over the next few possessions, as Niagara would not let the Greyhounds back into the game. The Greyhounds would keep battling as a
Lex Therien three-point play would get the Greyhounds to back to within 10 points. Both teams once again traded baskets, as the Greyhounds could not battle back, as Niagara would go on to win 68-58.
Lex Therien led the team with 16 points and a new career high of 20 rebounds. Koi Sims added 15 points and 7 rebounds on the night.
Taleah Dixon added 7 points and
Bri Rozzi added 6 of her own. The Greyhounds shot 40% from the floor on the night.
The Purple Eagles were led by Aaliyah Parker with 17 points, and Angel Parker who had 14 points. Niagara would shoot 39.7% from the floor on the night.
The difference in the game would be the turnover battle, as the Greyhounds turned the ball over 33 times to the Purple Eagles 20 turnovers.
The Greyhounds will be back in action on Thursday, as they travel to across Baltimore to face Morgan State at 5:30 PM.
