Quick Hits About The Hounds
- Loyola University Maryland men's basketball returns to Baltimore for a Saturday, February 12, 2022, home game against Colgate University.
- The game, Loyola's penultimate regular-season home game, will stream live on ESPN+ from Reitz Arena at 5 p.m..
- At 7-6, Loyola has its best record in the Patriot League through 12 games since joining the conference in 2013-14.
- Cam Spencer leads the Patriot League in both points (19.3) and steals (2.3) per game as of February 8. He also is second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.0:1), a stat that ranks him No. 14 in NCAA Division I.
- Spencer is 14th nationally in steals per game, and sixth in total steals (55). Jaylin Andrews and Kenneth Jones are second and fifth in the conference in steals per game, too.
- Jones tops the conference in assists per game (4.8) and is No. 56 nationally in that category.
- As a team, the Greyhounds rank 44th nationally in assists per game (15.6).
- The Greyhounds have the top scoring duo in the Patriot League with Spencer and Jaylin Andrews (14.3). Together, they average 33.5 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 Colgate
- Loyola and Colgate will meet for the 19th time in series history when they meet for rematch of the 2021 Patriot League Championship Game. The Raiders hold a 12-6 lead in the previous 18 meetings.
- Colgate took this season's first meeting, 65-52, on January 24, 2022, in Hamilton, New York. Loyola had a one-point halftime lead and was up 34-31 more than four minutes into the second half before Colgate went on a 15-2 run to pull away.
Last Time Out
- Golden Dike's layup with 3:25 on the clock gave Loyola a one-point lead, and David Brown III had a steal on the ensuing defensive possession that gave the Greyhounds a chance to make it a two-possession game, but Holy Cross held off the Loyola for a 68-64 win on Wednesday night at the Hart Center.
- Following Brown's steal, the Greyhounds missed 3-pointers on three-straight possessions, and the Crusaders tied the game at 62-62 when Gerrale Gates went 1 of 2 at the free-throw line at 1:39. After the third 3-point miss, Gates converted in traffic with 60 seconds left, giving Holy Cross a two-point lead.
- Kyrell Luc made the gap four with a pair of free throws 30 seconds later, and Loyola would not score until Cam Spencer's driving layup with six seconds to go. The Greyhounds fouled on the in-bound play, and Luc hit both free throws to ice the win with 5.2 seconds left.
- Spencer scored a game-high 27 points in the loss, making 11 of 15 shots form the field, 3 of 4 from 3-point range. Veljko Ilic had 11 points, all in the first half, and Jones finished with 10 for Loyola, which shot 46.3 percent from the field.
- Ilic's early points helped Loyola take a 26-18 lead with 9:55 left in the first half as he made two free throws to get to his point total for the evening just over 10 minutes into the contest.
- Holy Cross, however, went on an 11-2 run to lead by a point on a Gates layup with 5:07 to go in the frame. The Crusaders extended their advantage to eight, 39-31, on a Gates jumper with 69 seconds showing before halftime, but Spencer converted a Milos Ilic steal into points with 37 seconds left, and Holy Cross took a 39-33 lead to the locker room.
- Luc made a three just 29 seconds into the second half to stretch Holy Cross's lead to 42-33, but Loyola rattled off nine-straight points, seven from Spencer, to tie the game at 42-42 with 16:28 left.
- The Crusaders would go up by as many as six over the next six-plus minutes, and they were ahead 54-49 on a Bo Montgomery conversion at 8:20 before Spencer and Milos Ilic knocked down consecutive threes to put Loyola up a point at 7:17.
- Gates made the second of two at the charity stripe 17 seconds later, but Jaylin Andrews pulled up from 18 feet to score for Loyola and give the Greyhounds a 57-55 lead. That would be short-lived as Gates scored 23 seconds later to tie the game, and he made another jumper at 5:57 to put Holy Cross in front. Gates finished with 23 points, while Luc had 18.
Scorers Under Hardy
- Loyola is on track to have the total points scored leader in the Patriot League for the fourth year in a row since Head Coach Tavaras Hardy came to the Evergreen campus.
- Andrew Kostecka led the conference in points scored during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, as did Santi Aldama during 2019-20;
- This year, Cam Spencer leads all Patriot League players with 462 points through games of February 9.
Stats On The Start
- Loyola is off to its best start in Patriot League play at 7-6 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 13-11, Loyola is off to its best start through 24 games since it went 16-8 during the 2012-2013 season.
Spencer Named To Lou Henson Award Watch List
- 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.
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 February 11, in points (19.9) and steals (2.3) per game. In 24 games this season, the junior guard has scored 462 points and has scored in double figures in all 24.
- He is also fifth in the conference in assists per game (3.6), and he ranks 14th in all of NCAA Division I with a 3.0:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. His steals per game mark is 14th nationally, and he is 16th in total points and 37th in points per game.
- 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 52 career games, Loyola is 30-22 in games he has played, as he averages 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 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.
- Recently, he had a career-high nine rebounds in the Greyhounds home win over Army West Point. He is second on the team in rebounds this season.
- 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. He had his fifth game with 26 or more this season on February 9 when he went 11 of 15 from the field and finished with 27 at Holy Cross.
- 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 4.8 assists per game, and 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 15.6 assists per game.
- 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 44th nationally in assists per game.
- Per KenPom.com, the Greyhounds dish out assists on 60.6 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 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.
Hitting Twos
- Loyola leads the Patriot League in 2-point field-goal percentage this season, shooting 54.0 percent from inside the arc in conference games. Overall, they're making 52.6 percent on 2-point baskets.
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 48.6 percent from the field in their 13 victories, 36.9 percent from 3-point range. Meanwhile, they are shooting 40.9 percent, overall, in 11 losses, while their 3-point average dips to 29.1 percent.
- Individually, Loyola has had better balance in its scoring during the wins where Cam Spencer and Jaylin Andrews are averaging 19.0 and 16.7 points per game, respectively, in the victories, while Kenneth Jones is at 9.4 points. In the 10 losses, Spencer has averaged 19.5 points, Andrews 11.1 and no other player more than 7.4 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 41.5 percent from the field in its 13 wins, 33.1 percent from 3-point range. Meanwhile, teams have shot 47.2 percent in the eight 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, 1.7 and 1.5, 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 24 games, he has averaged 33.3 minutes per game, while producing 8.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per contest, all career-highs. He has a 2.2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio that ranks third in the Patriot League and is a career-high, as well. His 4.8 assists are 56th in NCAA Division I.
- Jones is averaging 4.8 assists in 13 Patriot League games this year, and his total of 63 dimes are 10 more than any other player in conference play.
- Over his career, Jones has played in 100 games, starting 33, and averages 6.5 points and 2.7 assists per game. His 271 career assists are 15th 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.
- 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 102 career games, of which he has started 79, 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
- The Greyhounds finish the regular-season with three road games (at Lafayette, Navy and American) and one home game (Lehigh), starting with a game at the Leopards on Wednesday, February 16, in Easton, Pennsylvania.
