Quick Hits About The Hounds
- Loyola University Maryland men's basketball starts a two-game homestand on Wednesday, February 2, when it hosts the U.S. Military Academy in a 7 p.m. game.
- The game will stream live on ESPN+ from Reitz Arena.
- At 6-4, Loyola has its best record in the Patriot League through eight games since joining the conference in 2013-14.
- Cam Spencer leads the Patriot League in both points (19.0) and steals (2.3) per game as of January 27. He also tops the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.3:1), a stat that ranks him No. 6 in NCAA Division I.
- Spencer is 14th nationally in steals per game, while Jaylin Andrews ranks 84th with 1.8. They are one-three in the conference in steals, and Kenneth Jones is fourth at 1.5.
- Jones tops the conference in assists per game (5.0) and is No. 36 nationally in that category..
- As a team, the Greyhounds rank 33rd nationally in assists per game (16.0).
- The Greyhounds have the top scoring duo in the Patriot League with Spencer and Jaylin Andrews (14.6). Together, they average 33.6 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 Army West Point
- Loyola and Army West Point will meet for the 19th time in series history on Wednesday having evenly split the previous 18. Army West Point picked up a 77-74 overtime win on January 1, 2022, after the Greyhounds rallied from 13 down at halftime to force overtime when Cam Spencer hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
- The Black Knights won both games during the Greyhounds' first Patriot League season (2013-14), but the teams have split the regular-season series each of the next seven years. They did not play last year during the COVID-shortened regular-season, but Loyola defeated Army West Point, 67-63, on March 10, 2021, in the Patriot League Semifinals.
Last Time Out
- Bucknell missed just one shot in overtime on Sunday to squeeze out an 82-80 Patriot League victory over Loyola in Sojka Pavilion. The Bison took just two field goals in the extra period, making them both, and they were 7 of 8 from the free-throw line to hold off the Greyhounds.
- Milos Ilic hit his career-high fourth 3-pointer of the game from the right side of the court with 1:50 left in regulation, giving Loyola a 68-65 lead. Bucknell's Andrew Funk, however, drove for a pair 27 seconds later, and it was a one-point Greyhounds lead.
- Loyola missed on the offensive end, but it drew an offensive foul to regain possession up one. Jaylin Andrews got into the lane for the Greyhounds and was fouled, but he missed the second of two free throws, and the Loyola lead was two.
- Funk, who had a game-best 34 points, quickly came off a screen at the top of the perimeter and made a three for the Bison, pushing them up one, 70-69 with just over 14 seconds to play.
- Loyola called a timeout, and after the break, Cam Spencer drove into the lane and was fouled, sending him to the line for two. He missed the first and made the second to tie the game at 70-70 and force overtime. Andrews hit two pull-up jumpers near the elbow, wrapping them around Funk's sixth 3-pointer of the game, to put Loyola in front, 74-73, with 3:33 left in the game.
- Elvin Edmonds IV, however, got into the lane and took an Alex Timmerman feed to score for Bucknell 15 seconds later, putting them in front for what would be the remainder of the game.
- Ilic scored a career-best 17 points, while Golden Dike added a season-high 15 for Loyola. Andrews finished with 19, and Spencer had 11 to give the Greyhounds four players in double figures. Spencer also had six assists and five steals.
- In addition to Funk's 34, Xander Rice scored 14 with eight assists for Bucknell.
Fast Start
- Loyola's game at Colgate last Monday wrapped up the first half of Patriot League play for the Greyhounds in less than four weeks. They played nine games over the course of 24 days, faster than any other team in the conference this year.
Stats On The Start
- Loyola is off to its best start in Patriot League play at 6-34 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 12-9, Loyola is off to its best start through 21 games since it went 15-6 during the 2012-2013 season.
Spencer Named To Lou Henson Award Watch List
- Three weeks ago, 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.
- He was also named the Patriot League Player of the Week on January 17 after averaging 22 points in three wins the week prior.
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 27, in points (19.0) and steals (2.3) per game. In 21 games this season, the junior guard has scored 398 points and has scored in double figures in all 21.
- He is also fifth in the conference in assists per game (3.7), and he ranks sixth 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 49 career games, Loyola is 29-20 in games he has played, as he averages 13.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He has a career 3.1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- Spencer has scored 20 or more points eight times this year, logging 25 or higher six 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 leads the Patriot League with 5.0 assists per game and has averaged 5.5 in the last 16 Loyola contests. This season, Jones has seven games with seven or more assists, the first seven of his career. Loyola is third in the conference lead with 16.3 assists per game.
- Jones' 5.0 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 31st nationally in assists per game.
- Per KenPom.com, the Greyhounds dish out assists on 61.2 percent of their made baskets, the 15th-highest percentage in NCAA Division I this year.
- In Tavaras Hardy's three-plus years as Loyola's head coach, the Greyhounds have 16 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.
Kuzemka Debuts
- Chris Kuzemka became the last of Loyola's six freshmen to debut when he stepped onto the court in the second half against Boston University on January 19. He came back from a preseason injury to make his first appearance and immediately had an impact. He had an assist on a Golden Dike layup and then drew a charge defensively in his first two minutes of action.
- Kuzemka scored his first collegiate points at Bucknell with a first-half layup and two free throws.
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 49.0 percent from the field in their 12 victories, 36.9 percent from 3-point range. Meanwhile, they are shooting 40.3 percent, overall, in nine losses, while their 3-point average dips to 27.4 percent.
- Individually, Loyola has had better balance in its scoring during the wins where Cam Spencer and Jaylin Andrews are averaging 19.0 and 16.8 points per game, respectively, in the victories, while Kenneth Jones is at 9.0 points. In the nine losses, Spencer has averaged 19.9 points, Andrews 11.4 and no other player more than 7.3 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 41.2 percent from the field in its 12 wins, 32.4 percent from 3-point range. Meanwhile, teams have shot 46.9 percent in the eighth Loyola losses, 36.3 percent from behind the arc.
Sticky Fingers
- Thanks to Cam Spencer, Jaylin Andrews and Kenneth Jones ranking first, third and fourth in the Patriot League in steals per game at 2.3, 1.9 and 1.5, respectively, Loyola is tops in the Patriot League with 8.0 steals per game.
Post Production
- Loyola's starting post players, Golden Dike and Milos Ilic, both had season-high point totals Sunday night as the Greyhounds played at Bucknell. Ilic made four 3-pointers and finished with 17 points, while Dike converted 7 of 8 shots from the field and posted 15 points.
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 21 games, he has averaged 33.3 minutes per game, while producing 7.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per contest, all career-highs. He has a 2.5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio that ranks third in the Patriot League and is a career-high, as well. His 5.0 assists are 36th in NCAA Division I.
- Jones is averaging 5.4 assists in seven Patriot League games this year, and his total of 54 dimes are 10 more than any other player in conference play.
- Over his career, Jones has played in 97 games, starting 31, and averages 6.4 points and 2.7 assists per game. His 262 career assists are 17th 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' 12 most-recent games, he has scored 11 or more in all but two contests, averaging 16.1 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 99 career games, of which he has started 76, Andrews is averaging 9.5 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 was 12th in the NCAA in scoring (21.2 ppg) and 14th in rebounds (10.1).
Up Next
- Loyola continues its homestand Saturday when it hosts the U.S. Naval Academy at 5 p.m.
