Courtesy of LoyolaGreyhounds.com
BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland went 23 of 27 from the free-throw line and held visiting Mount St. Mary’s University to just 13 points in the game’s final 11-plus minutes, as the Greyhounds delivered a 64-57 non-conference victory on Saturday afternoon in Reitz Arena.
Junior Robinson gave the Mountaineers a 44-42 lead with 11 minutes, 46 seconds left in the second half, but after that basket, Mount St. Mary’s committed seven turnovers, went 4 of 12 from the field and 5 of 10 from the free-throw line as Loyola (4-4 overall) closed out the victory.
Jarred Jones, who led Loyola with 15 points and also had eight rebounds, tied the game 26 seconds after Robinson’s three with two free throws. Cam Gregory came the Greyhounds a 46-44 lead at 10:49, catching a Jones pass to score two of his nine points.
The Greyhounds led for the next four-plus minutes, but a Robinson basket tied the score at 54-54 with 5:27 to play. A Mount St. Mary’s steal on Loyola’s next possession led to a transition score by Robinson, and the Mountaineers (1-8) were up two with less than five minutes to go in regulation.
Chancellor Barnard, who also had nine points for Loyola, knocked down the back end of two free throws to cut the Greyhounds’ deficit to one, and a steal and fast-break layup by Jones put Loyola on top, 57-56, at 4:26.
From that point, Loyola went 6 of 7 at the free-throw line, and Mount St. Mary’s managed just one free throw.
Andre Walker converted 5 of 6 free throws during that stretch and went 9 of 10 at the line overall in the game, finishing with 12 points for Loyola.
With the shot clock winding down, Walker was fouled with 34 seconds left, and he made both foul shots to put Loyola ahead by four. On Mount St. Mary’s ensuing possession, Jones stripped Robinson for a steal, and Walker was fouled on the outlet pass. He again hit both shots to make it a six-point Greyhounds’ lead.
Elijah Long misfired on a layup with 15 ticks on the clock for Mount St. Mary’s, and Walker corralled the rebound and was fouled. He hit one of two on that trip to the charity stripe, making it a three possession game.
Loyola had a commanding 39-28 lead in rebounds, led by a career-high nine from James Fives. Jones had eight, and Gregory added six off the bench.
Long had 16 points, and Robinson added 14 for Mount St. Mary’s, but Loyola’s perimeter defense played a factor in the win. Entering the contest, Mount was averaging eight made 3-pointers per game and shooting 35.4 percent from behind the arc. On Saturday, however, they were just 4 of 13 (30.8 percent).
The Greyhounds play another intra-state foe on Wednesday, Dec. 7, when they make the short trip to take on Towson University in a 7 p.m. contest on the Tigers’ home floor.
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