BALTIMORE – Lafayette College scored the game's first nine points, eventually took a 25-6 lead less than 10 minutes in, and the Leopards never trailed in a 79-64 Patriot League victory over host Loyola University Maryland on Saturday evening.
Caleb Williams and Shareed Jackson each scored 20 for the Leopards (4-11 overall, 1-1 Patriot League), and Andrew Phillips added 19.
Four Loyola (4-11, 0-2) scored in double-figures, led by
Braeden Speed's 18.
The Leopards took a 9-0 lead 2:43 into the game, and the lead grew to 19 on a Phillips basket at 10:46.
Lafayette went up 20, 45-25, at halftime after shooting 54.3 percent from the field and outrebounding the Greyhounds, 24-12, in the opening period.
Loyola trimmed the gap to 14, 59-45, with two Speed free throws at 12:31 in the second half, and a Speed basket in the paint made it 66-54 with 6:40 on the clock. That was the closest the Greyhounds could draw late.
Jacob Theodosiou scored 13 points, and
Sam Springer added 11, his most since November.
Emmett Adair finished with 10 points and a team-high six rebounds. Speed had a team-best four assists.
Loyola will be on the road for its next two Patriot League games, starting with a Wednesday, January 7, contest at Army West Point.
