Loyola men’s basketball was unable to find the late game magic it had used in recent wins as the Greyhounds fell to Bucknell and Colgate last week, sliding into a four-way tie for last place in the Patriot League.
Loyola had no answer for Bucknell’s Chris Hass last Wednesday, as the Hounds fell to the Bison, 75-61 at Reitz Arena. Hass, a candidate for Patriot League Player of the Year, scored a game-high 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting, and also sank four of seven three-point attempts.
First place Bucknell (11-10, 6-2 Patriot League) couldn’t miss, finishing the game with nine three-point field goals. It was a cold shooting night for the Greyhounds (7-12, 3-5), who shot just 20-for-54 from the field, a mark of just 37 percent.
Freshman Andre Walker was the only Loyola player to score in double figures, leading the team with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, along with four rebounds and two steals. Classmate Chancellor Barnard finished with eight points and a career-high nine rebounds.
The Bison led for the entire game and came out firing, jumping out to early leads of 7-0 and 9-2. The Greyhounds clawed back on numerous occasions, but failed to draw even at any point during the game.
The only area in which the Bison struggled was from the free-throw line, where they shot just 12-for-21. Loyola shot 17-for-24 from the charity stripe.
The Greyhounds were on the verge of a comeback victory on Saturday at Colgate, but the Raiders (9-12, 6-2) held on for the 59-58 win to remain in a first-place tie with Bucknell.
Loyola got off to yet another slow start, falling behind 17-9, and facing a 33-26 halftime deficit. The Hounds trailed 51-38 with just over 10 minutes remaining, but the comeback was on. A steal and a layup by senior Denzel Brito tied the game at 56 with 4:34 remaining.
The score remained tied for three minutes, until junior Eric Laster hit a layup to finally put the Greyhounds ahead, 58-56, capping a 20-5 Loyola run.
Colgate’s Damon Sherman-Newsome made one of two free throw attempts with just over a minute left, cutting Loyola’s lead to 58-57. But the Hounds turned the ball over on their next possession, and Sherman-Newsome hit the game-winning layup with 19 seconds left.
Laster led the Greyhounds with 20 points and five rebounds, while Walker finished with 16 points and five boards. Walker has now scored at least 16 points in four straight games.
Loyola will look to get back in the win column on Thursday night when it hosts Holy Cross at 7:30 p.m., a game that was pushed back from Wednesday due to the impending snow storm in the northeast.
(Photo via Loyola Athletics)
