Matchup History
- The Greyhounds move on to the Patriot League Semifinals, where they will travel to play No. 1 seed Holy Cross.
- Loyola split the regular season series this year, as the road team won both times. Holy Cross won the first meeting 71-51 in Baltimore, before Loyola won 60-47 in Worcester.
- This will be the first time that Loyola and Holy Cross square off in the Patriot League Tournament. Holy Cross is looking to become the first team to repeat since Navy in 2011-12 and 2012-13.
Quick Hits
- The Greyhounds enter the postseason after securing their best ever finish in the Patriot League (tied for 2nd), first winning regular season since 2010-11, and most Patriot League wins since 2015-16.
- Loyola finished the regular season tied for second with Colgate and Boston, and will be the No. 4 seed in the Patriot League Championships.
- In last years Patriot League Championships, Loyola won over Lafayette in the First Round, before falling to Boston in the Quarterfinals.
Patriot League Play
- The Greyhounds finished with a 10-8 record in Patriot League this season.
- In conference play, three Greyhounds are averaging double-digits.
Lex Therien (15.5) leads the way for Loyola, while Laura Salmeron (12.0) has started to heat up. Freshman
Kimmie Hicks (11.7), followed by
Kelly Ratigan (7.9) and
Ava Therien (6.8).
- Therien has continued her dominance on the boards, averaging 10.2 rebounds per game.
- The Greyhounds have had success in the second half during conference play, outscoring opponents by a combined 75 points in the second half, including a 64-point difference in the third quarter.
Patriot League Awards
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Danielle O'Banion was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year, the first Greyhounds coach to earn the honor.
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Lex Therien earned her first, First Team All-League Nod, While
Kimmie Hicks was named to the All-Rookie Team.
Scouting Holy Cross
- The Cursaders come into the matchup with a 18-12 (11-7) record, as they defeated Bucknell in the Quarterfinals, 61-56.
- Bronagh Power-Cassidy led the Crusaders with 14 points, while Janelle Allen posted 13 points. Simone Foreman grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds.
- In their two meetings this season, the Crusaders Bronagh Power-Cassidy averaged 18.5 points per game, while Janelle Allen averaged 12.5.
- Power-Cassidy, the 2023-24 Scholar Athlete of the Year and First Team All-League Selection, ranks third in the Patriot League in scoring, as she is averaging 16.5 points per game this season.
- Simone Foreman ranks third in the conference in rebounds per game, as she is averaging 8.7 per game.
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 fourth in the Patriot League in scoring this season, averaging 16.1 points per game. She is also second in rebounds per game, averaging 10.2 per game. Therien also is second in the Patriot League in field goal percentage with 55.8 percent.
- Therien also ranks nationally, ranking 24th in double-doubles, and 26th in rebounds per game.
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Kelly Ratigan ranks fourth in the Patriot League in three-pointers made per game, averaging 1.9 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 13-4 when leading in rebounds, with losses coming against St. Bonaventure, American and Bucknell, twice.
- Loyola is 15-3 when they shoot better from the field than their opponents, but 1-11 when their opponents finish with a better shooting percentage.
- When scoring at least 60 points, the Greyhounds have gone 11-2 on the season.
- The Greyhounds defense ranks third in the Patriot League, allowing just 60.9 points per game this season. They also rank third in the Patriot League in turnovers this season, averaging just 13.9 per game.
- Loyola's depth has been a big factor to their success this season, as they are 9-6 on the season when they lead the game in bench scoring.
Another Record For Therien
- In the Patriot League Quarterfinals against Lehigh, Therien broke the Loyola single-game and Patriot League Tournament single-game record for rebounds, with 23.
- The previous hold, Stephannie Karcz ('19), set the mark against Navy in the Quarterfinals in 2019.
- Therien is the only player in Division I this season with a 40+ point game and a 20+ rebound game.
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Lex Therien had a career-day in the Greyhounds win over Lehigh on February 18.
- Therien 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.
