| Opponent | Siena Saints |
| Date | Friday, February 8, 2013 |
| Time | 9:00 p.m. |
| Location | Baltimore, Md. | Reitz Arena |
| TV | ESPNU |
| Series Record | Siena leads, 36-19 |
| Last Meeting | Loyola 70, Siena 60 – March 4, 2012 in Springfield, Mass. |
Game Data
Loyola University Maryland returns to Reitz Arena for a Friday night contest against Siena College in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action on February 8, 2013, at 9 o’clock.
On The Tube
The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU with Doug Sherman calling the play-by-play and Tim McCormick handling color analysis.
It can also been viewed live on the Watch ESPN app.
Over The Airwaves
Fans can also listen to the action on LoyolaGreyhounds.com, where Gary Lambrecht will call the play-by-play, and Jim Chivers will handle analysis duties.
Series History
Friday’s game will be the 56th all-time meeting between Loyola and Siena with the Saints holding a 36-19 advantage in the all-time series.
Loyola swept the home-and-home this season with the Saints, winning, 66-59, on December 3, 2011, at the Times-Union Center in Albany, N.Y., and 66-55 on January 19 in Baltimore. The Greyhounds then took a 70-60 decision on March 4 in the MAAC Semifinals in Springfield, Mass.
In the MAAC Tournament game, Erik Etherly scored 15 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, helping Loyola pull away from the Saints and advance to the MAAC Championship Game the following day.
Robert Olson hit two threes in a 2-minute, 30-second stretch of the second half that saw the Greyhounds make four shots from behind the arc, and his second triple made it 44-33 Loyola with more than 14 minutes remaining.
The Greyhounds shot 53.8-percent from the field in the second half and 5-of-8 from 3-point range during the period.
In three games last season against Siena, Etherly and Dylon Cormier both averaged 14.7 points per game, while Robert Olson averaged 12.7. R.J. Williams had 14 assists against just five turnovers in the three games.
Last Time Out
Julius Brooks laid in the game-winning basket with time expiring in the second overtime period, and Loyola beat MAAC-leading Niagara, 89-87, on Saturday afternoon in Western New York.
Brooks, who finished with a career-high 14 points, caught an Erik Etherly pass who had received a three-quarter court inbound pass from Anthony Winbush. Niagara had tied the game with 2.6 seconds left on a pair of Malcolm Lemmons free throws.
Neither Loyola, nor Niagara, led by more than two in the second overtime, but Loyola had built an eight-point advantage in the first overtime. Niagara, however, chipped away and tied the period on a Juan-ya Green three with less than 10 seconds to go, forcing the second five-minute frame.
Robert Olson scored a team-high 23 points for Loyola, leading six Greyhounds in double-figures. Dylon Cormier added 15, while Winbush had 13 to go with a career-best 13 rebounds. Erik Etherly and R.J. Williams each had 11 for Loyola.
Overtime Under Patsos
In Jimmy Patsos’ eight-plus seasons at Loyola, the Greyhounds have played just 10 overtime games, but they have won nine of them. The only loss in nine overtime games came during 2009 against Coppin State.
This year’s squad is 3-0 in extra time this year, winning at Rhode Island and Niagara at home versus Fairfield.
When 45 Minutes Isn’t Enough
Last Saturday’s double overtime win at Niagara was the first Loyola game in over 11 years that lasted more than 45 minutes. The last time the Greyhounds played double overtime or more was a triple-overtime defeat on January 10, 2002, at Siena. That season, Loyola also played a double overtime game on November 19, 2001, losing at Coppin State.
Three Overtimes In A Season
The last time Loyola played three or more overtime games in a season was 1990-1991, the program’s season year in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. That year, the Greyhounds played extra time at Saint Peter’s and Niagara (four overtimes, the longest game in program history) and at home versus Iona and Saint Peter’s (three overtimes).
Six Over 10
Prior to last Saturday’s game at Niagara, Loyola had not placed five players in double figures all season. Against the Purple Eagles, six Greyhounds – Robert Olson (23), Dylon Cormier (15), Julius Brooks (14), Anthony Winbush (13), Erik Etherly and R.J. Williams (11 each) – scored 10 or more points.
The last time six Loyola players scored in double figures was on January 30, 2011, when the Greyhounds topped Iona, 88-85, in overtime at home.
Olson With 20+ Twice
Robert Olson enjoyed the cold, windy weather in Western New York during the Greyhounds’ recent road trip, averaging 25.0 points in Loyola’s games at Canisius and Niagara. The senior guard scored a career-high 27 at Canisius and had 23 versus the Purple Eagles, marking the first time in his collegiate career he has scored 20 or more in back-to-back games.
Olson, who now has nine 20-plus point efforts at Loyola, led the Greyhounds in rebounds (6), assists (5) and steals (4) at Canisius, and he then turned in five rebounds and two assists versus Niagara.
Against Niagara, he became the 28th player in school history to score 1,100 career points. With 1,120, he is the active career leader in point scored, and he needs 19 to move into 25th place all-time at Loyola.
Nearing Second In Threes
Robert Olson made three 3-pointers at Niagara now has 182 in his career. With four more, he will tie Jason Rowe (1996-2000) for second all-time on the school’s 3-pointers made chart. Marquis Sullivan (2005-2009) holds the school record with 281.
Brooks’ Big Shot
Julius Brooks made the game-winning layup with time expiring on Saturday at Niagara, giving him a career-high 14 points. He made a career-best six field goals in just seven attempts, and he also finished with eight rebounds.
He has set or tied his career-high in scoring three times this season, first setting a new standard with 12 against Mount St. Mary’s on December 15 before tying that mark against Marist on January 17.
Brooks has logged four or more rebounds 11 times this season, and the Greyhounds are 9-2 in those contests.
Bracketbuster Opponent Announced
Loyola will participate in the Ramada Worldwide Bracketbuster event again this year, and the Greyhounds will face an opponent they have previously played in the competition. Loyola will take on Tennessee State in Nashville on Saturday, February 23, at 7 p.m. (Central). The Greyhounds and Tigers also met in the 2007 version of Bracketbusters.
Taking Care Of The Ball
In its past three games, the Greyhounds have committed just 19 combined turnovers, although their record is just 1-2. They posted six against Iona and then had a season-low three in the game at Canisius. In the double overtime contest at Niagara, Loyola had 10 turnovers in 50 minutes of action.
Loyola’s three turnovers against Canisius were the fewest in a game during Jimmy Patsos’ nine years at the school.
The team games have helped reduce the Greyhounds’ turnovers per game to 11.5 overall, a mark that is tied for best in the MAAC.
70 Not Enough
Scoring 70 points has been a bit of a magical number for the Greyhounds this season, as they entered the Iona game with a 5-0 record this year when scoring 70 or more points.
Versus the Gaels, Loyola tallied 71 points and suffered just its second loss in the last two years when scoring 70 or more points.
The same thing happened on Thursday night at Canisius where the Greyhound scored 79 points in a loss to the Golden Griffins. Loyola is now 17-3 since the start of the 2011-2012 season when hitting or exceeding that mark. The only other loss came in an 83-79 defeat to Rider on February 24, 2012.
High On Assists
The games against Iona and Canisius saw the Greyhounds record 18 assists twice, one off the season-high of 19 they set against Marist on January 17.
At Canisius, Robert Olson had five assists, and Anthony Winbush passed out four, while three other Greyhounds had two or more.
The losses mark the first time in more than three years that Loyola has lost a game when they finished with 18 or more. Loyola had 19 in a January 4, 2010, loss at home to Siena.
In the Niagara contest, Loyola finished with 15 assists, led by R.J. Williams’ five and Winbush’s four.
These numbers came after the Greyhounds had just 12 combined assists in their previous two games (four at Fairfield, eight at Manhattan).
Scoring Off Turnovers
Loyola scored a season-high 32 points off Canisius turnovers on Thursday night. The Greyhounds tallied points on 14 of the Golden Griffins’ turnovers in the game for a success rate of 87.5-percent.
During the 13-0 Loyola run that cut the Greyhounds’ deficit from 18 to five late in the second half, Loyola forced turnovers on four-straight Canisius possessions, and scored each time thereafter.
Loyola then turned 15 Niagara turnovers in to 27 points.
Freshmen Take Step Forward
Freshmen Jarred Jones and Eric Laster each played key roles in the Greyhounds’ near comeback at Canisius. The duo combined for 14 points and two steals and were involved in several defensive stops during a 13-0 run.
Jones made both of his shot attempts and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line for eight points, and he added three rebounds and two steals in 14 minutes. Laster knocked down three shots to scored a career-high six points, and he also posted an assist.
Williams Continues To Spark Greyhounds
In six games since returning to the court on January 17, sophomore guard R.J. Williams is averaging 6.5 points, 3.8 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game. Through the six games, Williams has 23 assists and just four turnovers for the Greyhounds.
In the Iona game, Williams matched his career-high with seven assists, tying the mark he set last January at Niagara.
Cormier’s Consistency
Dylon Cormier led the Greyhounds in scoring for the 12th time in 22 games this season against Iona when he tallied 18 points. It was his return to the court after missing the January 25 game at Manhattan due to food poisoning.
In 22 games played this season, Cormier has scored in double figures all but once. The only time he did not reach 10 or more was on November 23 when he finished with nine at Rhode Island.
Additionally, Cormier has scored 15 or more points in 17 games.
The junior guard, who is averaging 17.3 points per game, went over the 1,000-point mark for his career on January 21 at Fairfield and enters the game versus Niagara with 1,038 career points. This season, he has scored 383, just 45 points shy of the 428 he tallied in 2011-2012.
He has consistently raised his game since his freshman season. Cormier averaged 8.1 as a freshman in 2010-2011, 13.4 last year and 17.4 this season. His rebounds per game have also risen from 3.0-3.3-4.7, as have his steals per game (0.8-1.6-1.8) and assists per game (1.1-1.8-2.4).
Record-Tying Defense
The 41 points Loyola yielded at Manhattan tied the Greyhounds’ Division I record for fewest points allowed in a game. Loyola, which joined Division I in 1981-1982, allowed 41 points on two other occasions, a 43-41 win over Marist College on February 23, 1984, and a 58-41 victory at Dartmouth on November 24, 2009.
The 14 field goals by Manhattan were the fewest yielded by a Jimmy Patsos-coached Loyola team.
Opponents Under 50
The Manhattan game was the third time this season Loyola has held an opponent to fewer than 50 points. The Greyhounds did so in the November 9 season-opener against Binghamton (45) and on November 17 against Norfolk State (49).
Loyola twice held opponents to sub-50 performances last season: February 3, 2012, against Rider (46) and March 5 versus Fairfield (44) in the MAAC Championship Game.
Over the nine years Jimmy Patsos has been head coach at Loyola, the Greyhounds have held opponents under 50 points nine times, all Greyhound wins. The nine games have all come in the last four seasons.
Winbush Shows Versatility
Anthony Winbush played 34 minutes at Manhattan and finished with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. He was tabbed the ESPNU Player of the Game for his efforts that also included an assist and a steal.
This season, Winbush has led Loyola in rebounds 10 times and assists on seven occasions.
In the 21 games he’s played, Winbush is averaging 6.7 points and a team-best 6.9 rebounds. He is tops on the team in total rebounds (145), third in total assists (51) and fourth in steals (20).
The graduate student logged his second career double-double at Niagara with 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. He was also a career-best 9-of-12 at the free-throw line. His first double-double came earlier this state at Coppin State.
Cormier, Etherly Score 1,000th Points
On Monday night at Fairfield, Erik Etherly and Dylon Cormier became the 33rd and 34th players in Loyola men’s basketball history to reach 1,000 career points as Greyhounds, and they did so in the same game, a feat never before accomplished at Loyola.
Etherly scored his 1,000th on a layup just 15 seconds into the second half at Fairfield, and Cormier followed suit on a 3-pointer from the left corner 8:07 later.
1,000 Points In the Same Game
Prior to the Fairfield game, through unofficial research, the last time a school had two players reach 1,000 points in the same game was nearly five years ago when Fernandez Lockett and Todd Babington of Austin Peay hit the plateau on March 7, 2008
However, it took just 24 hours for it to happen again as North Carolina State’s Richard Howell and Lorenzo Brown got to 1,000 in the Wolfpack’s 86-84 loss at Wake Forest on Tuesday night.
And Olson Makes It Three
Erik Etherly and Dylon Cormier were not the first Loyola players to score 1,000 in a career this season. Robert Olson reached the mark on January 6 against Saint Peter’s.
It is the first time in Loyola’s 103 seasons of men’s basketball that the program has had three players with 1,000 career points at the same time.
Three 1,000-Point Scorers In MAAC History
Since the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference was founded in 1980, this is just the sixth instance of a team touting three players with 1,000-plus points at the same time.
Iona (2000-2001, 2011-2012) and Siena (1999-2000, 2009-2010) have accomplished twice, while Loyola joins Niagara (2004-2005) with a one-time occurrence.
Win With Four Assists
Loyola’s win at Fairfield came with the Greyhounds assisting on just four of their 19 made baskets. It was also just one game removed from Loyola setting a season-best with 19 assists against Marist.
It is the first time since January 25, 2009, (an overtime victory against Marist) that the Greyhounds won a game with four or fewer assists. Additionally, it is just the third time this season that a MAAC team has won a game with four or fewer assists (Niagara has done it twice).
Over the last five seasons, Loyola is 16-28 when finishing with nine or less assists, and the Greyhounds are 3-6 when that happens this season.
Holding Opponents Under 60
The Greyhounds limited Manhattan to 41 points, the 11th time this season they have held an opponent to 59 or fewer on the scoreboard. Loyola has won all 11 of those games.
Including the 2011-2012 season, Loyola has held opponents to 59 or fewer 22 times, all victories.
Cormier Getting To The Line
Through 23 games played this season, Dylon Cormier has shot 166 free throws, an average of 7.2 per game. He has made 72.3-percent os those shots, a total of 120.
He has already surpassed his made free throw total from a year ago when he made 108-of-160.
In his two-plus seasons at Loyola, Cormier has made 281-of-405 (69.8-percent) from the line.
Guards To The Boards
Dylon Cormier and Robert Olson, Loyola’s starting guards, are third and fourth on the team in rebounding this season, averaging 4.7 and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Olson has pulled down five or more boards 13 times this year, and Cormier has reached or exceeded that total 10 times.
Congratulations Graduate
Erik Etherly became the most recent Loyola men’s basketball player to graduate, completing his undergraduate requirements in December for a bachelor of arts in communications with an emphasis in marketing and public relations. He joins Anthony Winbush – who graduated in May 2012 – as a graduate student on the Loyola roster this season. He will start his masters in education leadership this month.
Fourth To 100 Blocks
Erik Etherly matched his career-high with five blocked shots against Saint Peter’s, and in the process he became the fourth player in program history to swat 100 shots.
He joins Brian Carroll (1997-2001, 213 blocks), Shane Walker (2009-2012, 135) and George Sereikas (1989-1993, 117) in the 100-block club.
Winning Combinations
Loyola is now 9-0 when it shoots 45-percent or better in a game, and the Greyhounds are now 11-0 when scoring 65 or more points this season. The Greyhounds recently held both Saint Peter’s, Fairfield and Marist to 58 points, marking the marking the 11th time – all wins – that they have held an opponent short of 60.
Classy Senior
Senior guard Robert Olson was named one of 30 candidates for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award last week. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Olson was the Greyhounds’ third-leading scorer last season with 11.1 points per game and enters this season Loyola ranked fourth at Loyola in 3-point percentage (138-of-336, .4107) sixth in career 3-pointers made (138) and eighth in 3-pointers attempted (336). Last season, Olson was one of four Loyola players to earn All-MAAC honors, picking up Third Team mention and later All-Tournament honors.
High Marks
The Loyola men’s basketball team scored the highest amongst squads in the State of Maryland in the most recent NCAA Graduation Success Rate report. The Greyhounds checked in with a 91-percent GSR, tops among the state’s nine Division I schools, for players who entered the school between 2002-2005.
Patsos Named Coach & Man Of The Year
Jimmy Patsos became the first Loyola coach to earn The Rock/Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors by a vote of his peers in the league.
Patsos guided the Greyhounds to a school Division I high 24 wins and a program MAAC record 13 victories. He earned his 100th career coaching victory in November 2012 and led the Greyhounds to the No. 2 seed in the MAAC Championships.
Later in March, Patsos was named the Skip Prosser Man of the Year award for his work on and off the court, an honor presented by CollegeInsider.com.
Century Mark
Head Coach Jimmy Patsos became the third coach in Loyola history to win 100 games when the Greyhounds defeated UMBC, 73-63, on the road last season. Patsos, who is now in his ninth season, took over a team that finished 1-27 during the 2002-2003 season. He won his 100th game in his 215th career game.
Last season, Patsos moved into third-place all time at Loyola in victories, trailing only Lefty Reitz (349 wins, 1937-44, 1945-61) and Nap Doherty (165, 1961-74).
| Loyola All-Time Coaching Wins List | |||
| 1. | 349 | Lefty Reitz | 1937-1944, 1945-1961 |
| 2. | 165 | Nap Doherty | 1961-1974 |
| 3. | 138 | Jimmy Patsos | 2004-present |
| 4. | 85 | Mark Amatucci | 1982-1989 |
| 5. | 72 | Gary Dicovitsky | 1976-1981 |
Baltimore Bred And More From Nearby
Since taking over as head coach in 2004, Jimmy Patsos has put an emphasis on recruiting locally, and it has never shown as much as on this year’s roster. Four players – junior guard Dylon Cormier (Cardinal Gibbons), junior forward Jordan Latham (City) and sophomore guard R.J. Williams and freshman forward Josh Forney (St. Frances) are products of schools within the city limits.
Six more players played in high school within 50 miles of Loyola, as the crow flies (thanks daftlogic.com): Jarred Jones, John Carroll, 20.5; Tyler Hubbard, Montrose Christian, 32.6 miles; Robert Olson, Georgetown Prep, 33.9; Anthony Winbush, T.C. Williams, 43.7; and Erik Etherly, Annandale, 47.9.
What’s Next
Loyola heads back out on the road for a 2 p.m. game Sunday afternoon at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
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