Matchup History
- The Greyhounds return to Reitz Arena on Saturday afternoon, as they will host the Boston Terriers for senior day.
- This will be the 22nd meeting between the two programs, with the Terriers holding the edge, 16-5. Boston has won the last 8 games of the series, with the Greyhounds last win coming on 3/6/19 in Boston, 59-55. The last win over the Terriers at home came on 2/28/18, in a 65-52 win. This game will have an important impact on the Patriot League standings, as both teams come into the game tied for second with a 8-6 record, one game behind first place (Holy Cross, 9-5).
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 last time the Greyhounds finished the season .500 or better was during the 2015-16 season, when they finished 16-16. This was also the last time they finished .500 or better in conference play (11-7).
- Loyola currently sits tied for second place in the Patriot League with Boston and Army, as they are all 8-6 in conference play, and have to play both Army and Boston once more.
Patriot League Play
- The Greyhounds own a 8-6 record in Patriot League so far this season.
- In conference play, three Greyhounds are averaging double-digits.
Lex Therien (16.4) leads the way for Loyola, while Laura Salmeron (11.6) has started to heat up. Freshman
Kimmie Hicks (10.4),
Kelly Ratigan (8.4) and
Ava Therien (7.5).
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Lex Therien has continued her dominance on the boards, averaging 9.8 rebounds per game in Patriot League play.
- The Greyhounds have had success in the second half during conference play, outscoring opponents by a combined 79 points in the second half, including a 35 point difference in the fourth quarter.
Scouting Boston
- The Terriers come into the matchup with a 16-9 (8-6) record on the season. They have won their last three games, coming against Army, Navy, and American.
- Boston won the first matchup this season, 55-48. Anastasiia Semenova led the Terriers with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Caitlin Weimar had 13 points, 11 rebounds.
- Weimar leads the Patriot League in scoring (18.2), rebounds (10.5), and blocks (2.8).
- Alex Giannaros is also averaging double-figures, averaging 13.8 points per game.
- Boston ranks second in scoring offense and fourth in scoring defense in the Patriot League this season. They also rank first in team three-point field goal percentage (36.7%).
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 17.1 points per game. She is also second in rebounds per game, averaging 10.1 per game. Therien also is first in the Patriot League in field goal percentage with 56.7 percent.
- Therien also ranks nationally, ranking 22nd in double-doubles, and 24th in rebounds per game.
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Kelly Ratigan ranks fourth in the Patriot League in three-pointers made per game, averaging 2.1 three-pointers per game.
By The Numbers
- The Greyhounds this season are 8-3 on the year when they lead going into halftime.
- They are also 10-2 when leading in rebounds, with their lone losses coming against St. Bonaventure and Bucknell
- Loyola is 13-2 when they shoot better from the field than their opponents, but 0-10 when their opponents finish with a better shooting percentage.
- When scoring at least 60 points, the Greyhounds have gone 10-1 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 13.8 per game.
- Loyola's depth has been a big factor to their success this season, as they are 8-5 on the season when they lead the game in bench scoring.
- They have also been clutch down the stretch, going 4-2 in games decided by 3 points or less.
Therien's Career Day
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Lex Therien had a career-day in the Greyhounds win over Lehigh.
- Therein finished the day with 44 points on 21-25 shooting from the field.
- 44 points and 21 field goals set the Loyola program record for points and field goals in a game, while the 21 field goals set a Patriot League record for a single game.
- 21 field goals is the most field goals made in a single-game in NCAA Division I this season, while her 44 points tie her with Caitlin Clark for the fifth most points scored in a single game this season.
- Therien scored her 44 points with just two made free throws, which is the fewest free throws made in a 40-point performance in recent history.
