Quick Hits About The Hounds
- Loyola University Maryland men's basketball wraps up a two-game homestand on Saturday, February 5, when it hosts the U.S. Naval Academy in a 5 p.m. game.
- The game will stream live on ESPN+ from Reitz Arena.
- At 7-4, Loyola has its best record in the Patriot League through 11 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 February 4. He also is second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.16:1), a stat that ranks him No. 7 in NCAA Division I.
- Spencer is 14th nationally in steals per game, while Jaylin Andrews ranks 61st with 1.9. 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 (4.7) and is No. 55 nationally in that category..
- As a team, the Greyhounds rank 43rd nationally in assists per game (15.7).
- The Greyhounds have the top scoring duo in the Patriot League with Spencer and Jaylin Andrews (14.7). Together, they average 33.7 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 Navy
- Loyola and Navy will meet for the 41st time in series history when the sides take the floor on Saturday. The Midshipmen have a 30-10 all-time record against the Greyhounds, including a trio of regular-season victories last year between the teams during the COVID-shortened campaign.
- Loyola did pick up a victory in 2020-2021 in the series, beating Navy, 76-58, in the Patriot League Quarterfinals in Annapolis, Maryland.
Last Time Out
- Cam Spencer crossed over his defender and pulled up with his toes on the 3-point line to sink a long two with 31.7 seconds left on the clock, and then Golden Dike swatted away an Army West Point post-entry pass with less than 10 seconds to play, helping secure Loyola's 61-57 Patriot League win in Reitz Arena.
- Spencer finished with a team-high 19 points, while Jaylin Andrews added 16, and Kenneth Jones had 14. Spencer was a rebound away from his first career xs as he pulled down a career-high nine boards.
- Army West Point scored five-straight points to get within two, 57-55, on a Jalen Rucker three with 1:13 on the clock, and the Black Knights came up with a steal in the back court immediately thereafter. Rucker put up another three, but this rimmed off, and Spencer grabbed the board, and Loyola called a full timeout with 48 seconds remaining.
- In the half-court set, Spencer went from right to left at the top of the perimeter, crossed over on his defender and drifted right to get space. He took off with his toes on the line, but his shot found nothing but the net to give Loyola (13-9, 7-4) a four-point cushion.
- Army West Point called a timeout after Spencer's make, but Aaron Duhart's three was offline. The Black Knights came down with a rebound, and Rucker was fouled while driving into the lane. He made both free throws with 14 seconds left, and it was a two-point game again. The Greyhounds inbounded the ball, and Duhart tied up Spencer in the corner for a jump ball, and the possession arrow was going to Army West Point, giving the Black Knights nine seconds to tie or win the game.
- Out of a timeout, Rucker, who had a game-high 22 points, looked to throw a pass to Charlie Peterson, but Dike batted it away and into the hands of Milos Ilic. He was fouled with 2.1 seconds left, and he made both free throws to seal the win.
- Loyola led by as many as nine in the first half when Andrews had an offensive rebound and putback with 3:54 on the clock to stretch the advantage to 30-21. After an Army West Point timeout, the Black Knights scored eight in a row to get within a point on a Josh Caldwell transition layup with 1:20 to go before the break.
- Spencer scored in the paint 21 ticks later, and after the Greyhounds got a stop, Andrews hit a 26-foot 3-pointer with the shotclock winding down to put Loyola up 35-29 at halftime. Army West Point, however, came out on fire to start the second half, scoring the first 12 points of the stanza to go up 41-35 at 16:57 on a Matt Dove fast-break layup. Andrews stopped he run with a three from the top of the perimeter at 16:20, a shot that started an 8-0 run for the Greyhounds to put them back in front.
- Army West Point would lead by one an additional time – with 11:44 left in regulation – but two Spencer free throws at 4:57 gave the Greyhounds a 55-48 advantage.
- Loyola had a 34-25 advantage in rebounds during the game, thanks in large part to nine from Spencer and seven from Dike.
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 417 points through games of February 2.
Stats On The Start
- Loyola is off to its best start in Patriot League play at 7-4 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 13-9, Loyola is off to its best start through 22 games since it went 15-7 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.
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 22 games this season, the junior guard has scored 417 points and has scored in double figures in all 22.
- He is also fifth in the conference in assists per game (3.7), and he ranks seventh in all of NCAA Division I with a 3.2:1 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 50 career games, Loyola is 30-20 in games he has played, as he averages 14.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He has a career 3.0:1 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.
- 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 4.7 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 15.7 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 31st nationally in assists per game.
- Per KenPom.com, the Greyhounds dish out assists on 60.7 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 54.5 percent from inside the arc in conference games. Overall, they're making 52.7 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 40.3 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 16.7 points per game, respectively, in the victories, while Kenneth Jones is at 9.4 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 41.5 percent from the field in its 13 wins, 33.1 percent from 3-point range. Meanwhile, teams have shot 46.9 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, 1.9 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 22 games, he has averaged 32.9 minutes per game, while producing 8.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.7 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 4.7 assists are 55th in NCAA Division I.
- Jones is averaging 4.9 assists in seven Patriot League games this year, and his total of 54 dimes are eight more than any other player in conference play.
- Over his career, Jones has played in 98 games, starting 32, 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 100 career games, of which he has started 77, 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 head on the road for their next game, traveling to Worcester, Massachusetts, to face College of the Holy Cross on Wednesday, February 9.
