Game Information
Opponent	Coppin State Eagles
Game Notes	Loyola
Date	Monday, December 2, 2024
Time	7:00 p.m.
Location	Baltimore, Md. | Physical Education Complex Arena
Tickets	Purchase
Directions	Click Here
Online Media	ESPN+ | Live Stats

Quick Hits About The Hounds

• Loyola University Maryland men's basketball goes on the road for its second three-game road swing of the 2024-25 season, starting with a Monday, December 2, game at Coppin State at 7 p.m.
• Loyola has seven players averaging 5.8 or more points per game through the year's first six contests; five are at 7.0 or higher.
• The Greyhounds have thus far had more rebounds than their opponents in four of their six games, averaging 37.5 rebounds to 34.0. Milos Ilic leads the team with 9.4 rebounds per game.
• Josh Loeffler is on the bench as the Greyhounds' head coach after taking the position as Loyola's 22nd all-time head coach in March 2024.
• He is joined on the bench by four assistant coaches: Matt Blue, Kevin Farrell, Ricky Hernandez and Khyle Diaz. 
• The Greyhounds are a new-look team in more ways than just its head coach for the 2024-25 season. Of the 6,475 total minutes played by Loyola players last year, only 53 percent of those return on the roster.
• The game is the seventh of 11 non-conference contests for the Greyhounds this season before they start their 18-game non-conference slate.

Watch The Action

• The Loyola-Coppin State game will stream live on ESPN+.

Series History Versus Coppin State

• Loyola and Coppin State will meet for the 12th time in series history when the teams take the floor on Monday night in the first of a two-game series that will see the teams meet next year on the Greyhounds' home floor.
• The Eagles lead the all-time series, 7-4, after winning games in 2021 and 2022. Coppin State took a 74-71 decision on December 3, 2022, in Reitz Arena. Alonso Faure had tied the game at 71-71 with a putback layup with just over 30 seconds on the clock, but Sam Sessoms made a fading jumper with 1.5 on the clock to put Coppin State in front.

About The Eagles

• Coppin State comes into Monday night's game looking for its first win in nine games this year. The Eagles are averaging 54.6 points per game to their opponents' 80.5.
• Derrius Ward leads the team with 12.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

Last Time Out

• Milos Ilic scored a career-high 28 points to lead a Loyola comeback from 14 down in the second half in a 70-67 win over Virginia Military Institute on Tuesday night in Reitz Arena.
• Ilic made 12 of 16 shots from the field and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line in his best statistical night as a collegian. He grabbed 11 boards to have his third double-double of the season, marking the first time in his career he has put up that feat in back-to-back games.
• Loyola trailed by 14 twice at the start of the second half after the Keydets scored on two of their first three possessions after the break to extend a 42-30 halftime lead to 46-32 with 18:53 to go in regulation.
• The Keydets shot 57.7 percent from the field in the first half, but the Greyhounds slowly started to chip away at the lead. 
• Chris Kuzemka knocked down a three from the top-left of the perimeter with 8:19 to play, cutting it to a one-point VMI lead. AJ Clark scored on the ensuing possession for the Keydets, but Ilic converted another traditional three-point play to tie the game with 6:47 on the clock. It was the Greyhounds were even or lead since 4:33 into the first half.
• VMI was whistled for a flagrant foul on its next possession when Augustinas Kiudulas drove to the basket but his off arm made contact with Ilic's head. Ilic hit both foul shots to put Loyola in front, and when the Greyhounds retained possession, Tyson Commander drove to the basket and laid in two for a 61-57 Loyola lead at 6:01.
• The teams would trade the lead twice more over the next three minutes before Jordan Stiemke drained a right-baseline three at 2:14, pushing the Greyhounds back into the lead. Ilic scored in the paint with 1:26 on the clock to extend the lead to four, but Rickey Bradley hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game for the Keydets with 27 ticks on the clock, and Loyola lead was one, 68-67.
• The Greyhounds brought the ball across the time-line, and Braeden Speed was fouled with 16 seconds on the clock. He made both free throws.
• On the defensive end, Speed blocked a Tan Yildizoglu 3-pointer, and Linus Holmstrom attempt from behind the arc went off the back iron. The ball was ruled to go off VMI after review, and Loyola go the ball in to Ilic who was fouled with six-tenths of a second left in the game. He missed the free throw, but the Keydets' desperation three was off, sealing the win.

Second-Half Turnaround

• Loyola trailed VMI by as many as 14 points early in the second half Tuesday night before coming back for a three-point victory. The comeback was the largest by the Greyhounds since they overcame a 16-point deficit on January 14, 2023 against Navy, a span of 52 games.
• The Greyhounds did shoot the ball better in the second half versus the first, 41.2 percent to 36.4, but the biggest change was in the defense they played against VMI. The Keydets made 15 of 26 first-half shots (.571), but Loyola held them to 6 of 23 (.261) after the break. 

Script Flip

• The second-half comeback against VMI was also significant compared to the Greyhounds' previous five games this year.
• Coming into the game, Loyola opponents had shot 51.8 percent from the field in the second half of games before the Greyhounds held VMI to 26.1 percent.

Focal Point

• Milos Ilic has become the focal point of the Greyhounds' offense this year, and the 6-foot-10 post from Serbia has responded with his best start to a season in four years at Loyola. Ilic has led the Greyhounds with 14.5 points and a Patriot League-high 9.7 rebounds per game.
• Ilic has shot 52.1 percent from the field through six games, and he is shooting 62.3 percent from 2-point range.

Pounding The Boards

• Milos Ilic leads the Patriot League in rebounding through games of November 29 with 9.7 per game. His rebounding average is also 21st in NCAA Division I, and he ranks in the top 70 nationally in both offensive (20th, 3.67) and defensive (67th, 6.0) rebounds.

Dimes & Swats

• Braeden Speed had seven assists and three blocked shots on November 26 against VMI to become one of just four NCAA Division I players this year with those totals in a game (per Stathead.com as of Nov. 29 games).

Contributions In Many Areas

• Jacob Theodosiou has led Loyola in minutes played through six games as only of only two players on the roster averaging more than 24 minutes per contest.
• He is fourth on the team in scoring with 8.2 points per game, but he has found many ways to contribute other than just scoring.
• Theodosiou is tied for second on the team in rebounding with 25 total and an average of 4.2 per game, and he leads the team with nine steals (1.5 per game).

Efficient With More Shots

• Milos Ilic has taken 10 or more shots from the field five times this year and nine times in his career. 
• The senior from Serbia went 7 of 10 from the field against Columbia in the season opener, was then 6 of 12 versus NJIT and at Boston College and then made a career-high 12 of 16 shots versus VMI. In the nine games he has taken 10 or more shots, Ilic is 56 of 106 (.528). He is 34 of 63 (.539) in the five games this season.
• In only two of those overall games – a December 2023 contest at La Salle and this year's VCU game – did Ilic not shoot 50 percent or better from the field; he was 7 of 23 shooting in those games.
• Ilic recorded his third career double-double on November 19 at Boston College, scoring 12 points while grabbing a career-best 14 rebounds. He had back-to-back double-doubles for the first time in his career with 28 points and 11 boards against VMI; the 28 points were the first time as a collegian he's scored 20 or more.

Continuing To Board

• By outrebounding Columbia (34-31), Lancaster Bible (48-24) and NJIT (39-31) in the year's first three games, Loyola continued a strength from the 2023-24 season. Overall, the Greyhounds have a 3.5 rebounds per game margin over their opponents this year (37.5 to 34.0).
• During the 2023-24 season, Loyola pulled down 34.3 rebounds to its opponents 32.8.

Twins Back Together

• Twins Milos and Veljko Ilic are rarely apart off the court, but they have been separated in playing time since the 2021-22 season.
• They played together in 26 games that year before a knee injury cut Milos Ilic's season short during the second half of Patriot League play.
• He would miss the entirety of the 2022-23 season while rehabilitating the leg, and Veljko Ilic missed the first 13 games of that year with an off-season injury. He came back to the lineup to play in 14 games during 2022-23 before injuring his knee and missing the remainder of the year and all of 2023-24.
• Milos Ilic was on the court last year, save for two games, but the November 4 season-opener was the first time they played in a regular-season game together in 993 days since February 16, 2022, the date of Milos' injury. They also saw time together against Lancaster Bible and NJIT, but Veljko missed the VCU, Boston College and VMI games with an injury.

Stiemke Spark

• Jordan Stiemke drew his first starting assignment for Loyola on February 3, 2024, against Holy Cross and scored five points in 17 minutes of action. He then upped his playing time to 25 minutes on February 7 at American, converting a layup and free throw for the game-winning points while finishing with six points and six rebounds.
• Stiemke had his best statistical game on February 25 at Boston University, scoring 23 points on 8 of 18 shooting and 5 of 10 from the floor.
• The native of Bel Air, Maryland, was Loyola's second-leading scorer after moving into the starting rotation for the last 10 games of 2023-24, averaging 10.3 points. Prior to that, he had scored just 34 points in 15 games.
• This season, Stiemke has continued to be one of the Greyhounds' top scorers. Through six contests, he is second on the team with 11.3 points per game; he has a team-best 12 3-pointers made. Spanning the last two seasons, Stiemke is averaging 10.7 points over the Greyhounds' last 16 games.

A More Commanding Presence

• Tyson Commander started the year with just four points in 33 minutes during Loyola's first two games, but he's stepped up his offensive output over the last four outings. Commander has 37 points (9.3 per) over those four games with nine or more Loyola's last three (VCU, Boston College, VMI). That includes a 12-point game against Boston College, and he also tied his career-high with six rebounds versus VMI.

Rookie Honors

• Braeden Speed earned Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors after averaging 12.0 points, 3.0 steals and 2.5 assists in two games during the season's first week.
• His 24 points were the most by a Loyola player in their first two games with the program since Andre Walker scored 17 at Texas Tech and 11 versus Cornell in the first two games of his career in November 2014. Walker would go on to earn All-Patriot League honors three times.
• Speed scored 13 in the opener against Columbia, tallying his first points five seconds into his collegiate career after grabbing the loose ball off the tip and getting to the rim for two.
• He followed that performance with 11 points and five steals in less than 17 minutes Saturday versus Lancaster Bible.

Addition From Injury

• While the Greyhounds lost a significant number of minutes played from last year's roster, they do return a considerable group that was out last season due to injury.
• Chris Kuzemka was averaging 6.7 points and shooting 36.7 percent from 3-point range through nine games when a broken hand in the December 6 contest at La Salle forced him to miss the rest of the year.
• A guard, Kuzemka averaged 21.6 minutes per game before his injury and had made one start. His season-high of 15 points came at Columbia, a week before his injury.
• Veljko Ilic missed all of last season and the last chunk of the 2022-23 season with an injury, but his return bolsters the Greyhounds' post play.
• Ilic averaged 13.7 minutes of action in 44 games from 2021-23, scoring 5.2 points and grabbing 3.3 rebounds per game.
• Samuel Gibbs was a rotation player for Loyola in the first five games of the year, averaging 6.6 minutes per, before missing the remainder of the season with an injury. A pair of freshmen, Troy Cicero Jr. and Matt Gray were limited to four games and one game, respectively, last year.

At The Next Level

• As a school of less than 4,000 undergraduate students, Loyola University Maryland boasted three former student-athletes on NBA rosters as players and one as a head coach last month on opening night. Two members of the men's basketball incoming class of 2019, Santi Aldama (SAHN-tee ALL-dah-muh) and Cam Spencer are on the Memphis Grizzlies' roster, and four-time men's lacrosse All-American is a member of the Golden State Warriors.
• Michael Malone, a 1994 graduate of Loyola, was a four-year letterwinner as a point guard for the Greyhounds. He is now the head coach of the Denver Nuggets.
• Aldama was a first-round draft pick in the 2021 NBA Draft after leading the Patriot League in scoring and rebounding in 2020-21, and Cam Spencer led the conference in scoring the following season.
• Aldama has played in 176 NBA games through November 1 and is averaging 13.8 points and 7.0 rebounds through six outings this season.
• He starred for his native Spain this summer, earning TISSOT Most Outstanding Player honors at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament before averaging 17.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in three games during the Olympics.
• Cam Spencer, who was a three-year starter for the Greyhounds from 2019-22, and won an NCAA Championship at Connecticut in 2023-24, made his NBA debut on November 20 in a Grizzlies game against Philadelphia with two assists, a block and a rebound in nine minutes. He scored his first NBA basket on November 23... off an Aldama assist.
• Pat Spencer holds the Loyola men's lacrosse records for career assists and points and was the 2019 NCAA Division I Player of the Year for the Greyhounds. He switched to basketball after graduating from Loyola and has seen action in six career games with the Warriors.
• Malone had 282 assists in 108 career games with the Greyhounds from 1989-93. He is in his 12th season as an NBA head coach and guided the Nuggets to the 2023 NBA Championship.

Up Next

• The Greyhounds stay in the Mid-Atlantic region for their next two games, playing on Saturday, December 7, at Delaware State in a 2 o'clock game.