As the Greyhounds gear up to face Bucknell at home on Jan. 24, they must put behind two close losses in the last week and overcome the memory of their three-point defeat when the two teams last competed on Jan. 10.
With their recent losses all coming down to the wire, Loyola men’s basketball faces the challenge of identifying a winning strategy for late-game situations and building off their recent 74-57 victory over Boston University.
The Greyhounds came up short against Colgate in a thrilling 80-86 finale on Jan. 14. The student section was filled for the first men’s basketball game of the spring semester, which was also Evergreen Appreciation Night.
Following this loss, guard Braeden Speed ‘28 spoke about what it takes to stay in the game after falling behind early and working through back-and-forth scoring.
“We’ve been preaching effort in practice and just continuing to fight, and that’s what we did today. We weren’t making shots in the beginning, we came down, we were in a hole, and we fought back and gave ourselves a chance to win,” Speed said.
Colgate opened the scoring for the game and built their lead while the Greyhounds trailed as they struggled to make shots in the early minutes of the first half. Though such difficulties may be discouraging to some teams, the Greyhounds stayed determined to establish their presence in the game. Loyola battled hard, gaining their first lead of the game nine minutes into the first half, offering the home fans some relief and encouragement as demonstrated by roaring cheers from the crowd.
In each of their last four games, the Greyhounds have ended the half with either the score tied or the teams being separated by a razor-thin scoring margin of one or two points. The Colgate Raiders held a single-point lead over Loyola at the end of the first half after maintaining a steady back-and-forth that followed Loyola’s first lead of the game.
While Colgate led for the majority of the game, the score remained tight throughout the second half, creating a palpable sense of excitement and anxiety for fans in the arena. With each basket sunk for the Greyhounds the crowd grew louder, and the stands became increasingly thunderous any time the opposition found themselves on the free throw line. Unfortunately, this is where the Greyhounds were bested, as each of their last three losses was solidified with the opposing team’s free throws as they fell to Lehigh 88-81, Colgate 86-80, and Bucknell 70-67.
One recent game stands out among the team’s recent losses, a 74-57 victory over Boston University with a 15-0 scoring run to end the second half on Jan. 17. This was the Greyhound’s second Patriot League victory of the season.
Head Coach Josh Loeffler expanded the mindset behind the team’s resilience and determination.
“You’re not defined by how many shots you hit. You’re defined by how much winning stuff you do,” Loeffler said.
Despite some tough losses, Speed has confidence in their future for the rest of the season.
“We’ve been in every game except our first two, when we didn’t play how we should have. But these past three, we’ve played probably our best games all year. So, we’re just getting better every game,” Speed said.
Though they were unable to overcome Lehigh on Monday, Jan. 19, the team still has an opportunity to showcase this improvement they discuss with 11 games left in their regular season. However, Coach Loeffler said there is still more work to be done in his second year as head coach.
“I think we have to keep building. We can’t get complacent. At the end of the day, it’s a close loss, and that’s not what any of us are in this for,” Loeffler said.
The Greyhounds will resume action on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 5 p.m. as they host Bucknell in Reitz Arena at 5 p.m.