In a down-to-the-wire finish, Men’s Basketball beat Lehigh 77-73 in the first round of the Patriot League Championships at Reitz Arena. The game Tuesday night, March 4, gave the crowd a back-and-forth ending in which Loyola came out on top.
After being down by one with 42 seconds left, one layup from Braeden Speed ‘28 put Loyola up by two after he made his free throw. Lehigh failed to answer back, and David Brown III ’25 sealed the game with two clutch free throws to put the Greyhounds up by four with 1.8 seconds remaining. Since Lehigh did not have enough time to make two shots, all Loyola had to do was watch the ball go in the air and let the buzzer sound.
The Greyhounds put a lot of intensity and heart on display that rallied them through their first-round win. Even with many students away on spring break, the crowd still showed their energy throughout the whole game and especially down the stretch.
Loyola started off shooting the ball hot with an efficient 78.6% through the first eight minutes which put them up 25-13. Tyson Commander ’26 provided a great spark off the bench, nailing his first three 3-pointers of the game, finishing with 13 points and 3 rebounds.
What started as a rally from Loyola ended up becoming a bit closer as halftime arrived. Lehigh, although shooting worse overall, had not missed a three-pointer until 15 minutes into the game. They found several layups off cuts that trimmed Loyola’s lead to five at halftime.
In the first half, Loyola shot 65.4% on field goals and 50% from the arc compared to Lehigh’s 55.6% field goal percentage and 62.5% from three.
The game diverted from good shooting to a more defensive, paint-centered game that allowed taller players like Milos Ilic ’25 to thrive. 13 of Ilic’s 17 points came in the second half, as he was given more opportunities and drew fouls to get to the free throw line. He made five of his six shots from the charity stripe, not letting any drawn fouls go to waste when the game got closer. Ilic notably made All-Patriot League Second-Team and was the league’s Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2024-25 season. Ilic commented on what worked well for him during the later stretch of the game.
“Same like all season, just getting down low, in the low post, and just finishing. Praise to my teammates for finding me open,” Ilic said.
“Just Milos, getting it to him, he’s our most consistent scorer… [He’s] our bread and butter. If he’s going, we’re going,” Speed said.
Loyola was not shooting great as a team, though, in the second half. With nine straight missed threes to start the half, they struggled to find their footing which allowed Lehigh to slowly come back, shortly leading 53-54. From then on, the game became a back-and-forth contest with 10 more lead changes until the end.
More possessions were slowed down in the half court, typical of playoff basketball, and the energy grew more tense in the arena. There were more fouls and turnovers on both sides. The momentum started to shift a bit towards Lehigh, but Loyola fans maintained their energy. Loyola Head Coach Josh Loeffler continued to motivate his team from the sideline, ensuring his team stayed energized and engaged with the game.
“There were a couple ball screen coverage things that we thought we could attack early. We did. They adjusted, and then we attacked late by adjusting back. So I’m really proud of the fact that our guys were able to, on the fly, without a timeout, understand what we were trying to get done and execute that to get a great shot for the team,” Loeffler said.
With five minutes left in the game, Jacob Theodosiou ’27 made Loyola’s first three of the half, breaking the ice and giving the Greyhounds a 68-67 lead.
Loyola has been on the wrong end of several close games this season. They hold a 3-6 record in the Patriot League when games are decided by six or fewer points, according to the Loyola Greyhounds site.
But this game, the Greyhounds maintained a solid defense and scored crucial buckets when it mattered most to keep themselves in the game.
With 1:50 left and Loyola down 69-70, what appeared to be a Milos Ilic and-one was taken back and called as an on-the-floor foul, but he was still awarded two free throws. Ilic sank both to give the Hounds a one-point lead. A Lehigh two-pointer and a made free throw from both sides put Loyola down 72-73.
“Under two [points], it was like, ‘Guys, it’s gonna come down to the last minute, it’s gonna come down to the last couple possessions. We cannot fray, we have to be together,’” Loeffler said.
Enter Speed, who, with 32.4 seconds left on the clock, rustled to the basket through contact to draw a foul in the clutch and score an and-one. He knocked down his free throw to give Loyola a 75-73 lead.
“Just stay calm, stay poised, never too high, never too low,” Speed said when asked about his mindset going into close games like this one.
On Lehigh’s last possession, with the crowd on its feet, they missed both a three-pointer and a second-chance layup, unable to tie the game at least, and Loyola came down with the rebound. After an intentional foul from Lehigh, Brown’s two free throws iced the game and pushed the Greyhounds on into the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Championships.
“I’m very proud of [the team’s efforts]. I feel like we keep taking steps to start games really well, great energy and effort… and I’m especially proud of the fact that after some adversity hit, after that start, we found a way to finish this game and close it out,” Loeffler said.
Loeffler believes the team’s ability to endure adversity is another huge step that speaks to the team’s level of preparation every day and the way they enter the gym before they ever play a game.
“Wins in March, wins on a run come from a having a team that’s very connected, and I thought we stayed connected throughout the entire game,” Loeffler said.
A huge difference maker in this game was Loyola’s ability to get to the line and make their free throws. They shot 19 of 26 from the line compared to Lehigh’s 10 of 21. Loyola shot 51% on field goals to Lehigh’s 52.8%. Loyola had Lehigh’s number this year, a 3-0 record against the university, winning by an average point differential of 8.67. Although Lehigh outrebounded Loyola 34 to 25, the Greyhounds won the turnover battle 8-12.
Loyola’s leading scorers were Ilic with 17 to add to his 9 rebounds and 4 assists, Theodosiou with 15, and 13 from both Speed and Commander. Patriot League steals leader Theodosiou had two steals of his own against Lehigh, while Jordan Stiemke ’27 had 2 blocks to pair with his 11 points.
No. 8 Loyola will play at No. 1 Bucknell on Thursday, Mar. 6 at 7 p.m. in the Quarterfinals of the Patriot League Championships. For more information on the PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championships, visit the Patriot League site here.
