PHILADELPHIA — Loyola Maryland built a five-point halftime lead but could not hold off La Salle in the second half, falling 69-61 on Saturday at John E. Glaser Arena.
The Greyhounds (1-1) led 34-29 at halftime after shooting 44.1% from the field over the opening 20 minutes. Loyola established its largest lead of the game at nine points early in the second quarter before La Salle rallied.
Takeira Ramey paced Loyola with 15 points, while Aidan Langley added 14. Kailey Kalet scored seven points and dished out five assists, and Avery Simmons contributed eight points and nine rebounds.
Loyola opened the game with an 8-0 La Salle run before settling in and taking control. The Greyhounds closed the first quarter on a 6-0 spurt to take a 19-16 lead, with Langley scoring on a second-chance basket in the final seconds.
Loyola continued to apply pressure in the second quarter. Ramey scored on a driving layup to push the lead to nine at 27-18 with 8:02 remaining, and the Greyhounds maintained the advantage into halftime.
La Salle answered after the break, outscoring Loyola 21-16 in the third quarter to tie the game at 50-50 heading into the final period. The Explorers then pulled away in the fourth, scoring 19 points while holding Loyola to 11.
Vivien Nejašmić led La Salle with 17 points and seven rebounds. Tiana Thompson scored 15 points, and Joanie Quinn added eight.
Despite the loss, Loyola finished with a 45-46 disadvantage on the glass, while holding La Salle to 31.9 percent shooting on the day. The Greyhounds also scored 38 points in the paint.
Loyola shot 42.1% from the field but shot just 3 of 18 attempts from three point range. La Salle shot 31.9% overall and 5 of 22 from beyond the arc.
The Greyhounds return to Reitz on Tuesday as they will host Yale.
