Matchup History
- The Greyhounds will wrap up the regular season on Wednesday evening when they host American University at 7:00 PM.
- This will be the 34th meeting between both programs. Loyola won the first matchup this season, 59-55 in Washingon, DC. The win was the Greyhounds first win over the Eagles since the 2019-20 season. With the win, it would be Loyola's first sweep over American since the 2015-16 season.
Quick Hits
- With a win on Wednesday, Loyola will clinch at least a share of the regular season championship, and would be the first time in program history that they clinched at least a share of the regular season championship.
- Loyola's best ever finish in the Patriot League was in 2015-16 when they finished in 3rd.
- 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 first place in the Patriot League with Boston and Holy Cross entering the final game. Boston travels to Colgate, while Holy Cross hosts Lafayette on Wednesday evening.
Patriot League Play
- The Greyhounds own a 10-7 record in Patriot League so far this season. With a win, they would tie their best conference mark in the Patriot League .
- 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 (11.1),
Kelly Ratigan (7.9) and
Ava Therien (7.1) have also played well.
- Therien has continued her dominance on the boards, averaging 9.9 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 59 point difference in the third quarter.
Scouting American
- The Eagles come into the matchup with a 9-19 (7-10) record on the season. After starting Patriot League play 4-0, the Eagles have gone 3-10, including losing their last six games.
- American ranks sixth in points scored in the Patriot League, while they also rank ninth in points allowed this season.
- Preseason All Patriot League nominee Emily Johns leads the team with 12.6 points per game. Ivy Bales is second in scoring, as she is averaging 8.9 points per game.
- In their first matchup, Bales and Johns both had big games, as they had 26 and 20 points respectively.
- Loyola held American to without a three-point field goal in their first meeting.
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.
-
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
-
Lex Therien ranks tied for third 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 12-3 when leading in rebounds, with their lone losses coming against St. Bonaventure and Bucknell, twice.
- Loyola is 14-2 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 11-1 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.
- They have also been clutch down the stretch, going 5-2 in games decided by 3 points or less.
