Matchup History
- The Greyhounds are back on the road on Wednesday evening, as they travel to square off against the Bucknell Bison.
- This will be the 31st meeting between the two programs, where the Bison hold the series lead, 24-6. Bucknell has won 13 of the last 14 games against the Greyhounds, including the last nine games. In their first matchup this season, Bucknell won 61-59 in Baltimore. Ashley Sofilkanich had a game-high 19 points in the game, while Emma Theodorsson added 18 points in the win.
Kelly Ratigan scored 16 points off the bench for the Greyhounds in the loss.
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 9-6 record in Patriot League so far this season, and sit in sole possession of second place.
- In conference play, three Greyhounds are averaging double-digits.
Lex Therien (16.1) leads the way for Loyola, while Laura Salmeron (11.9) has started to heat up. Freshman
Kimmie Hicks (11.8),
Kelly Ratigan (8.3) and
Ava Therien (7.1) have also played well.
- Therien has continued her dominance on the boards, averaging 9.8 rebounds per game.
- The Greyhounds have had success in the second half during conference play, outscoring opponents by a combined 78 points in the second half, including a 28 point difference in the fourth quarter.
Scouting Bucknell
- The Bison come into the matchup with a 10-16 (7-8) record on the season, and are coming off of a road win at Army, 65-63.
- Bucknell currently ranks last in the Patriot League in scoring, averaging 54.7 points per game. They also rank fifth in points allowed, allowing 61.9 points per game.
- Emma Theodorsson leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.0 points per game. Ashley Sofilkanich is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.7 points per game, which is good for third most among freshman.
- Sofilkanich is also fifth in the conference in rebounds, averaging 6.4 rebounds per game.
- The Bison have won five of their last seven games in Patriot League play, after losing the first four games of the conference schedule.
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 16.5 points per game. She is also second in rebounds per game, averaging 10.2 per game. Therien also is first in the Patriot League in field goal percentage with 55.4 percent.
- Therien also ranks nationally, ranking 27th in double-doubles, and 27th in rebounds per game.
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Kelly Ratigan ranks tied for fourth in the Patriot League in three-pointers made per game, averaging 2.0 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 11-2 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 1-10 when their opponents finish with a better shooting percentage.
- When scoring at least 60 points, the Greyhounds have gone 11-1 on the season.
- The Greyhounds defense ranks third in the Patriot League, allowing just 60.7 points per game this season. They also rank second in the Patriot League in turnovers this season, averaging just 13.7 per game.
- Loyola's depth has been a big factor to their success this season, as they are 9-5 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.
