Quick Hits About The Hounds
- Loyola University Maryland men's basketball heads out on the road for its next game, a Wednesday, February 9, contest at College of the Holy Cross, at 7 p.m.
- The game will stream live on ESPN+ from the Hart Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.
- At 7-5, 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 (18.9) and steals (2.3) per game as of February 8. He also is second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.2:1), a stat that ranks him No. 5 in NCAA Division I.
- Spencer is 14th nationally in steals per game, while Jaylin Andrews ranks 89th with 1.8. They are one-three in the conference in steals, and Kenneth Jones is fourth at 1.6.
- Jones tops the conference in assists per game (4.8) and is No. 51 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 (14.6). 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 Holy Cross
- Loyola and Holy Cross will meet for the 22nd time in series history on Wednesday and the second time this season. The Crusaders hold an 11-10 lead in the all-time series, but Loyola has won the last four contests.
- The Greyhounds used a 14-0 run during the second half to take control of the January 4 meeting between the teams to go on to a 79-70 victory in the teams' second Patriot League game of the season. Cam Spencer scored 19 points, and Jaylin Andrews added 17 for Loyola.
Last Time Out
- Jaylen Walker made a short-corner jumper with 11 seconds left that switched the lead for the fourth time in the final 2:20, and it was enough for Navy to hold off Loyola men's basketball, 56-55, on Saturday evening in Reitz Arena.
- Walker's 15-foot jumper gave the Midshipmen the lead after Cam Spencer had scored for Loyola with 29 ticks on the clock to give the Greyhounds a 55-54 edge. After Walker's basket, Loyola took a full timeout with nine seconds on the clock, but Navy knocked a pass out of bounds with 4.9 seconds left in regulation.
- Spencer got the inbounds and had a look at the three from the top of the perimeter, but it went off the iron. Kenneth Jones got the rebound, but his jumper came after the buzzer, and Navy left with the win.
- In a game that featured eight ties and eight lead changes, the Greyhounds went up by six, 41-35, after Spencer had a steal on the defensive end and then caught Jaylin Andrews pass in the left corner to bury a three with 12:30 on the clock. Navy, however, scored the next six points to tie the game at 41-41 on two Richard Njoku free throws at 9:10. Veljko Ilic and Patrick Dorsey traded baskets for their teams, and the score remained tied before Jaylin Andrews knocked down a three at 8:03 to put Loyola up 46-43 at 8:03.
- Navy, however, scored nine-straight to lead by a half-dozen at 4:28 on two John Carter Jr. free throws. Andrews stopped the run when he cut to the basket from the top of the circle and caught a Veljko Ilic pass, converting it for two while drawing a foul at 4:12. Ilic then scored himself as he drove the right side of the lane for a pair at 3:17, and after another defensive stop, Andrews put Loyola back in front at 2:19 with a three from the right side off a Spencer skip pass.
- Neither Navy, nor Loyola scored for more than 90 seconds until Greg Summers converted in the paint for the Midshipmen with 46 ticks left to give them a 54-53 advantage.
- Navy called a timeout, and out of that, Loyola got back on top on Spencer's last basket. He slipped down the right side, and Veljko Ilic found him with a pass for a layup.
- Spencer led all players with 18 points, while Andrews added 13, and Veljko Ilic tallied eight. Carter and Daniel Deaver both had 15 for Navy.
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 435 points through games of February 8.
Stats On The Start
- Loyola is off to its best start in Patriot League play at 7-56 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 13-10, Loyola is off to its best start through 23 games since it went 15-8 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 8, in points (19.0) and steals (2.3) per game. In 23 games this season, the junior guard has scored 435 points and has scored in double figures in all 23.
- He is also fifth in the conference in assists per game (3.7), and he ranks fifth in all of NCAA Division I with a 3.2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. His steals per game mark is 14th nationally, and he is 46th 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 51 career games, Loyola is 30-21 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.
- 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 15.7 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 60.8 percent of their made baskets, the 18th-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 53.7 percent from inside the arc in conference games. Overall, they're making 52.3 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 40.4 percent, overall, in 10 losses, while their 3-point average dips to 28.9 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 18.8 points, Andrews 11.4 and no other player more than 7.0 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 46.7 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, 1.8 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 when 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 23 games, he has averaged 33.2 minutes per game, while producing 8.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 4.8 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 4.8 assists are 54th in NCAA Division I.
- Jones is averaging 4.9 assists in 12 Patriot League games this year, and his total of 59 dimes are 10 more than any other player in conference play.
- Over his career, Jones has played in 99 games, starting 33, and averages 6.4 points and 2.7 assists per game. His 267 career assists are 16th 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' 13 most-recent games, he has scored 11 or more in all but two contests, averaging 16.0 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 101 career games, of which he has started 78, Andrews is averaging 9.6 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).
