BALTIMORE  — Loyola University Maryland held the lead much of the night, while the contest pushed into overtime, but Lehigh edged the Greyhounds 67-61 on Wednesday night at Reitz Arena.

Loyola (8-10, 4-3 Patriot League) led for nearly 29 minutes and owned a plus-20 advantage in points in the paint, leaning on a balanced attack and steady defensive pressure. The Greyhounds took a 31-28 lead into halftime and extended it to 44-40 after three quarters before Lehigh rallied late.

Lex Therien led Loyola with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Koi Sims added 18 points and nine boards as the Greyhounds scored 42 points in the paint. Sydney Bass chipped in 10 points, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers during a strong second-quarter surge that pushed Loyola's lead to double digits.

Koi Sims scored with 3:37 remaining in the fourth quarter, as Loyola extended its lead to six points late in the quarter. Lehigh, however, responded with a 5-0 run over the next 40 seconds, as they trailed 56-55. After a pair of defensive stops on both sides, Lehigh tied the game on a free throw with 1:20 remaining in the quarter. 

Olivia Shaugnessy gave the Greyhounds a one point lead after a free throw, but Lehigh responded with a free throw of their own on the following possession. Loyola had the ball with just 20 seconds remaining, but Lehigh forced a turnover to send the game into overtime. 

In overtime, Lehigh opened the extra period with a three-pointer 15 seconds into the period. After a pair of stops, they would extend their lead to 62-57 with three minutes remaining. After Therien cut the deficit back down to three points, Lehigh used a 4-0 run to extend their lead and put the game out of reach, as they held on for the 67-61 win.

Lily Fandre scored 32 points to lead Lehigh (9-8, 5-1) on the night, while Whitney Lind added 24 points.

Lehigh finished 21-33 from the foul line in the win, while Loyola was just 5-7 from the foul line. Loyola outrebounded Lehigh 36-28, while also generating 16 offensive rebounds. 

Loyola heads back on the road on Saturday afternoon, as they will travel to face Bucknell at 2:00 PM.