The men’s basketball team defeated Mount St. Mary’s on the road 84-68 on Saturday, marking the first time the Hounds have won on the Mountaineer’s home court since 2011. They now sit at 6-4, while the Mount’s record has dropped to 3-7.

Andrew Kostecka ‘20 once again led the way with 25 points. Cam Spencer ’23 had career-highs in both points (15) and assists (six), as he continues to lead the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio. KaVaughn Scott ‘20 added six points and a game-high eight rebounds, while Isaiah Hart ’21 scored seven points and Jaylin Andrews ‘22 had five.

The Hounds defense stifled the home team all game long, holding the Mountaineers to just 33 percent shooting, including 11.8 percent from three-point range. A major component of Loyola’s defensive success was shutting down Mountaineers leading scorer Jalen Gibbs. Gibbs was averaging 14.1 points per game on the season but went scoreless against the Hounds defense.

After falling behind 15-13 midway through the first half, Loyola went on a 19-6 run led by 10 points from Kostecka alone to take a strong 32-21 lead going into the locker room.

The teams traded small scoring runs for much of the second half. Mount St. Mary’s would trim the Loyola lead down to single digits, then the Hounds would bounce right back and re-extend the lead to double digits. This happened just two minutes into the second half as the home team cut the deficit to six, but the Hounds responded with five points of their own to reclaim a commanding lead.

The Mountaineers pulled to within seven points with 5:20 left in the game, but Loyola pulled away for good with seven straight points, making the score 56-42 with just over three minutes to go. 

The Greyhounds take a well-deserved break through finals week, then return to Reitz Arena on Saturday, Dec. 21 to host Elizabethtown College. Tip-off is at 2 p.m.

Featured Image Courtesy of Loyola Athletics.