BALTIMORE –
Tyson Commander and
Jacob Theodosiou made 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions inside of four minutes left in the second half, and Commander sparked a defensive hold on Boston University's final possession Saturday to give Loyola University Maryland a 69-67 victory in Reitz Arena.
Theodosiou came up with a steal at 4:05 and then hit a long three 15 ticks of the clock later to give Loyola (9-12 overall, 4-6 Patriot League) a 59-54 lead.
The Terriers (11-12, 5-5) got back within three on a Miles Brewster basket in the paint 20 seconds alter, but then Commander knocked down a three at 3:09 for the Greyhounds.
Boston University would respond, and Kyrone Alexander's free throw with 39 seconds on the clock made it a 67-66 game.
Jordan Stiemke coverted two free throws for the Greyhounds a second later, but Malcolm Chimeize brought the visitors to within 69-6, making the second of two free throw attempts with 26 seconds remaining.
Stiemke drew a foul, but missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity with 20 seconds left in regulation. After a Terriers time out, the Greyhounds doggedly defended a set-play, forcing a low-percentage Michael McNair attempt, which barely grazed the rim.
Brewster twice used a high-ball screen to try to get separation on Commander, but he switched twice on the defense with
Milos Ilic, and Brewster threw to McNair on the perimeter for the final heave.
A balanced attack featured four Greyhounds in double figures. Theodosiou led the way with 14 points, while
Braeden Speed added 13 points and a career-best and team-high nine rebounds.
Stiemke and
Milos Ilic added 11 points apiece. Commander finished with nine points and four steals, and
Veljko Ilic scored eight. Stiemke matched his career best with four blocked shots.
Alexander paced all scorers with 16 points for Boston University, and he recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds.
The game featured 14 lead changes and six ties.
Milos Ilic gave the hosts the lead for good with his second consecutive lay-in at the 7:43 mark, and Theodosiou buried a deep three at the 6:17 mark to provide the Greyhounds with a 60-56 advantage.
The last four games of the series have been decided by a total of eight points. But the Greyhounds had lost all three prior decisions and earned their first win over Boston University since January 7, 2022, snapping a six-game slide.
The Loyola defense held the Terriers to 39.7 percent shooting, allowing only a trio of treys in 18 attempts. The Greyhounds shot 46.9 percent, converting 23-of-49, including a solid 9-of-22 (40.9 percent) from beyond the arc.
The Greyhounds led, 36-34, at the break, as the first 20 minutes featured a pair of double-digit runs, one by each side. Loyola got out to a blazing start, hitting 10 of their first 15 field goal attempts, including 6 of 9 from beyond the arc. They erased an early 13-12 deficit, scoring 19 of the game's next 27 points and building a 31-20 lead after a Commander layup with 7:04 remaining.
However, the Terriers struck back with a 12-0 surge as the hosts went scoreless for 5:17. Boston University led, 34-32 with 1:33 remaining. But Commander hit a floater at the 39-second mark and Theodosiou converted a pair of free throws with four ticks left to provide the hosts with a two-point halftime lead.
Loyola went with only its third different starting lineup of the season as Velljko Ilic made his first career start alongside brother, Milos, Stiemke, Theodosiou and Speed.
The Greyhounds start a two-game road trip at Lafayette on Wednesday, February 5.
