Larry French

Women's Basketball 12/3/2024 2:46:00 PM

Women's Basketball Hosts Radford on Wednesday Morning for Field Trip Day Game

Match Information
Opponent	Radford Highlanders
Date	Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Time	11:00 a.m.
Location	Baltimore, Md. \| Reitz Arena
Tickets	Purchase Tickets
Getting There	Directions
Online Media	ESPN+ l Live Stats
Follow Us	Twitter \| Instagram
Game Notes	Loyola Women's Basketball Game Notes (PDF)

The Matchup

The Greyhounds return to Reitz Arena on Wednesday morning, as they will host Radford for their education game.
This will be the first meeting between the two programs on Wednesday.

Quick Hits

The Greyhounds return the bulk of their roster from the 2023-24 season, as they return 88 percent of their scoring, 87 percent of their rebounding, and 87 percent of their minutes played.
Loyola was picked as the Preseason favorites in the Patriot League after receiving 148 points and 10 first place votes in the poll. This marks just the second time since 2000 that the Greyhounds were picked as Preseason favorites (2004-05, MAAC).
Lex Therien was also named the Preseason Player of the Year entering the 2024-25 season, which is the first Greyhounds player since Katie Sheahin in 2012-13 to be named the Preseason Player of the Year.

Non-Conference Play

The Greyhounds will continue non-conference play against St. Bonaventure on November 27 as they begin a two-game road trip in New York.
They will then face Binghamton on Saturday November 30 before returning to Baltimore to host Radford on December 4.
Through seven games, the Greyhounds have gone 4-3, as they are averaging 58.1 points per game this season.
Loyola is allowing just 58.1 points per game this season, while forcing 18.1 turnovers per game.
The Greyhounds look to improve upon their 5-6 non-conference record in 2023-24.

Scouting Radford

The Highlanders come into the matchup with a 1-6 record on the season, as they are coming off of a 87-40 loss to Eastern Kentucky on Saturday.
Radford has a pair of games against ACC foes this season, as well as a game against fellow Patriot League member Navy.
Through seven games, Radford is averaging 53.3 points per game on 35.3 shooting.
Joi Williams is leading the team with 10.6 points per game, while Taylor Napper is second on the team with 9.6 points per game.
Williams also leads the team with 14 made three-pointers this season on 40 percent shooting.
Radford is coming off of a 2023 season where they finished 15-18 (9-7) on the season, before losing to Presbyterian in the Big South Championship Game.
Radford was picked to finish in second place in the Big South Preseason Poll, with Adriana Shipp-Davis and Joi Williams earning Preseason All-League Honors.

The International Connection

Coming into the 2024-25 season, five players are from outside of the United States, with four of them coming to Loyola from Spain.
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.

Worth Noting

With seven rebounds against St. John's Lex Therien became the fifth player in program history to reach 1,000 career rebounds. She now has over 1,000 career points and rebounds.
Therien comes into the season with 47 career double-doubles.
The Greyhounds went 9-8 at home last season.

By The Numbers

So far this season, the Greyhounds are 4-0 when they have the lead going into halftime, while they are 4-0 when they have a better shooting percentage and when they win the turnover battle.
When scoring at least 60 points this season, the Greyhounds have gone 3-1 after going 11-2 last season when scoring at least 60 points.
Loyola returns 88 percent of their scoring, 87 percent of their rebounding, and 87 percent of their minutes, which also doesn't include the return of senior Koi Sims, who missed the 2023-24 season due to injury.
In NCAA Division I, the Greyhounds rank fifth in highest percentage of returning scoring, with Oklahoma returning 98 percent of their scoring.
Loyola also ranks in the top three in highest percentage of returning rebounding and minutes from last year's team.
Danielle O'Banion is one of two coaches who enter their fourth season at the helm who have seen win increases in each season and a 16-game difference from when they took over, with Vanessa Blair-Lewis at George Mason as the other coach.

Players Mentioned