BALTIMORE –
Braeden Speed scored eight of his team-high 24 in the final three minutes on Saturday to lead the Loyola University Maryland men's basketball team to a 67-62 Patriot League victory over visiting Bucknell University.
The Bison pulled within a point, 56-55, on a Quinn Berger three with 2:52 on the clock, but Speed hit baseline step-back jumper just 21 ticks of the clock later to make it a three-point Greyhounds' lead.
Carter Berg-McLean scored two of his eight with a driving layup on Loyola's next possession, and after an Amon Dörries putback for Bucknell, Speed hit another jumper with 56 seconds left.
Speed made four free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the win.
The 24 points matched Speed's career-best from a December 21, 2025, game at George Mason. He also had five rebounds.
Tyson Commander made a season-high three 3-pointers and scored nine, while Berg-McLean and
Emmett Adair each had eight.
Bucknell's Aleksander Pachucki made a three with 3:53 to play in the first half, tying the score at 21-21, but a Commander three 20 seconds later kicked off a 10-0 Greyhounds run that helped Loyola take a 31-23 advantage at the half.
The Bison, however, opened the second with a 12-3 run over more than six minutes to go up 35-34 on an Achile Spadone steal and transition basket at 13:49.
Commander got the lead back for the Greyhounds with another three at 13:30, but less than a minute later Dörries put the Bison up 39-37 with two points in the paint.
After Spadone forced a 41-41 tie with a basket for Bucknell at 11:03, Speed had a floater in the lane,
Troy Cicero Jr. made two free throws, and Speed hit a three in transition at 8:54 to give Loyola a seven-point advantage, 48-41.
Loyola led by seven twice more over the four minutes before Bucknell chipped away to get with a point on Berger's three.
The Greyhounds had a 36-30 advantage on the boards with
Jonas Sirtautas' six leading the team. Sirtautas also had three blocked shots in the game to help Loyola to a season-high of eight total.
Loyola will return to Reitz Arena on Wednesday, January 28, for a 7 p.m. game against American University.
