Matchup History
- The Greyhounds will continue Patriot League play on Saturday, as they welcome Holy Cross to Reitz Arena at 3 pm.
- This will be the 19th meeting between the two programs, and the Crusaders hold the series edge, 12-6. They have also won the last eight games, with the Greyhounds last win coming on 2/3/18 when Loyola won 65-58. Their last win at home against Holy Cross came on 1/8/18 in a 77-60 win.
Quick Hits
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Danielle O'Banion is in her third season as the Greyhounds' head coach and returns 11 players from last year's team, including Preseason All-Patriot League nominee
Lex Therien.
- The Greyhounds reached the Patriot League Quarterfinals in 2022-23.
- Therien was named to Second Team All-Patriot League last season, where she averaged a career-high 15.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game on 49.1 percent shooting.
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Lex Therien was named to the Patriot League Preseason All-League team for the second straight season.
Non-Conference Recap
- The Greyhounds finished non-conference play with a 5-6 record, recording wins against Binghamton, UMBC, St. Francis, Mount St. Mary's, and Delaware State.
- In the 11 non-conference games, the Greyhounds averaged 53.3 points per game on 39.5 percent shooting, while they allowed 60.3 points per game on 42 percent shooting.
- Following their season opening loss to West Virginia, the Greyhounds won three straight games, by an average margin of 4.3 points in those games.
- The Greyhounds started strong at home, posting a 3-2 record during non-conference play.
- They capped off non-conference play with a 16-point fourth comeback victory over Delaware State. The Greyhounds outscored the Hornets 23-5 in the come from behind win.
Scouting Holy Cross
- The Crusaders come into the matchup with a 11-5 (5-0)record on the season, and have won their last seven games.
- They have won each Patriot League game thus far this season by double-digit points. They are also coming off of a season-high 80 points scored in their win over Lafayette.
- Holy Cross ranks seventh in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 51.9 points per game.
- Offensively, they are led by Preseason All-Patriot League selection Bronagh Power-Cassidy, who is averaging 14.6 points per game. Janelle Allen is second in scoring, averaging 10.8 points per game, while Cara McCormack is averaging 9.9 points.
- Simone Foreman is third in the Patriot League in rebounds per game, averaging 8.8 per game.
- Kaitlyn Flanagan leads the Patriot League in assists, averaging 4.6 per game.
- The Crusaders were picked to win the Patriot League, receiving 16 first place votes and 160 points overall.
The International Connection
- Coming into the 2023-24 season, five players are from outside of the United States, with four of them coming to Loyola from Spain.
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Cristina Garcia, Laura Salmeron,
Marta Espinal, and Ami Hernandez all are from Spain, with Garcia, Salmeron, and Espinal coming from Barcelona, and Hernandez coming from the Canary Islands.
- The other international is
Amandine Amorich, who is from Montpellier, France, but played her high school basketball in Quebec.
Worth Noting
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Lex Therien ranks third in the Patriot League in scoring this season, averaging 17.4 points per game. She is also second in rebounds per game, averaging 10.4 per game. Therien also is first in the Patriot League in field goal percentage with 57.4 percent.
- Therien also ranks nationally, ranking 13th in double-doubles, and 21st in rebounds per game.
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Kelly Ratigan ranks tied for second in the Patriot League in three-pointers made per game, averaging 2.1 three-pointers per game. She's shooting 31.5 percent from three point range this season.
By The Numbers
- The Greyhounds this season are 4-1 on the year when they lead going into halftime.
- They are also 6-1 when leading in rebounds, with their lone loss coming against St. Bonaventure.
- Loyola is 7-1 when they shoot better from the field than their opponents, but 0-8 when their opponents finish with a better shooting percentage.
- When scoring at least 60 points, the Greyhounds have gone 4-1 on the season.
- The Greyhounds defense ranks third in the Patriot League, allowing just 60.4 points per game this season. They also rank second in the Patriot League in turnovers this season, averaging just 15.0 per game.
