Courtesy of LoyolaGreyhounds.com
EASTON, Pa. — Andre Walker scored 21 points to lead four Loyola University Maryland players who had 15 or more points, and the Greyhounds defeated Lafayette College, 81-78, Saturday afternoon at the Kirby Sports Center.
Walker also had five assists posted just a single turnover for the third-straight game. Jarred Jones scored 16 of his 18 in the first half, Eric Laster came off the bench to score 16, and Tyler Hubbard made four 3-pointers and finished with 15 points.
Franz Rassman grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds, nine in the second half, for Loyola (3-10 overall, 2-0 Patriot League.
The Greyhounds trailed in the game’s opening minutes, but a baseline dunk by Laster pushed them up with 14:10 to play, sparking a 15-2 Loyola run.
Jones scored in the paint at 8:40, making the lead 12, 23-11, but Lafayette would tally the next eight points to get within four 23-19, on a Nick Lindner jumper at 6:13. Lindner scored a game-high 26 points, but he was just 9-of-24 from the field.
Monty Boykins made two Lafayette free throws moments later, and Loyola’s lead was 25-21, but a Laster three started another run for the Greyhounds, this one 14-2. A Jones jumper with three minutes to go before halftime pushed the lead to 16, 39-23, and the Greyhounds took an 11-point advantage, 42-31, into the locker room at the break.
The Greyhounds held Lafayette (3-10, 0-2) to just 8-of-30 (26.7 percent) from the floor in the first half.
Lindner scored with 10:51 to go in regulation, and the Loyola lead dwindled to six, 57-51, but just over six minutes later, a Walker layup put it to 17, 73-56.
From that point forward, however, it was Lafayette’s turn for a run to close the game. The Leopards 22 of the final 30 points in the game, although they did not get closer than the final margin of three. In that stretch, Lindner scored 12 of his 26 points.
Walker’s 21 matched his career-high set last February in a three-overtime win against Colgate. He went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line in today’s game. As a team, the Greyhounds were 20-of-26 from the charity stripe.
The Greyhounds committed a season-low six turnovers in the game and held Lafayette to 38.5 percent from the field.
Loyola, which is 2-0 in Patriot League play for the first time in its three seasons in the conference, starts a two-game homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 6, when it hosts Lehigh University at 7:30 p.m. in Reitz Arena.
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