After a road trip to New York, Loyola returned home for match-ups against the Fairfield Stags and the Niagara Purple Eagles.
Led by forward Anthony Johnsonís 23-point eight-rebound effort, Fairfield was able to escape Reitz Arena with a narrow 73-69 victory over Loyola on Thursday Jan. 28, spoiling senior guard Brett Harveyís return to the lineup.
In a game that saw 17 lead changes, the Hounds had no answer for the physical Johnson, one of the MAACís top players. The action was fairly slow until late in the first half, when the pace of play seemed to be turned up a level.
After a timeout, with 4:29 remaining and the Hounds trailing 59-55, freshman guard Robert Olson took a steal the distance and converted on a conventional three-point play to pull the Hounds within one. Olson would finish the afternoon with 11 points, as he continues to provide Loyola with valuable minutes.
The next several minutes saw both teams converting on their scoring opportunities, keeping the game tight, with the score tied at 63. It was at this point that the Stags would deliver the dagger that sealed the teamís 16th victory of the season.
With 1:41 remaining in the contest, guard Sean Crawford converted on a four-point play to put the Stags ahead 67-63, the last time the lead would change on the evening.
Initially, this up-tempo game seemed to play to the Hounds advantage. In the end, however, Loyolaís carelessness with the ball (18 turnovers) proved to be too much to overcome.
Loyola out shot the Stags in the game,shooting over 52 percent as a team, while Fairfield only connected on 39.4 percent from the field.
After shaking off the initial rust of the lay-off, Harvey found his stroke, recording 15 points in the loss. Senior guard Tony Lewis was Loyolaís most effective offensive player on the evening, tallying 14 points in just under 20 minutes of action. Junior guard Brian Rudolph was putting his play-making abilities to use as usual, dishing out five-second half assists.
Lewis, normally known for his stout defense, was able to create shots with his aggressive style, something that the Hounds desperately needed in the contest. Not only did Lewis find himself open looks at the basket, he was also effective in finding his teammates high-percentage shot opportunities.
This type of play from Lewis is needed for Loyola, especially with the absence of arguably the teamís top scorer, junior Jamal Barney.
On Sunday Jan. 31, the Hounds dropped their second consecutive game, falling to Niagara 86-77 at Reitz Arena.
Despite the deficit, the Hounds would continue to claw back, bringing themselves within striking distance on multiple occasions, riding a 16-6 run to pull back within six points at 54-48. However, every time Loyola appeared ready to finally make their move, the Purple Eagles would hold firm.
Lewis, who was arguably the Hounds most effective offensive player in the game against Fairfield, went down just three minutes into his afternoon, suffering a concussion.
"Losing Tony (Lewis) hurt us, as he was someone who was big against Fairfield," said coach Jimmy Patsos. "He will be out for 3-5 days with a concussion."
The loss of Lewis, added on to a team that is already lacking Anthony Winbush and Jamal Barney, will create more minutes for other players who will be ready to fill in.
Patsos was unsure as to if and when Barney would return to the team, saying that the team would most likely have more information on this later in the week.
One player who figures to see an increase in minutes is freshman forward Julius Brooks, who was the most physically dominant player on the court Sunday. Brooks scored 10 points and had eight rebounds for the Hounds, with six of those points coming on thunderous dunks from in the paint.
Brooks, who has been a key player for Loyola all season, faced collapsing double teams from Niagara defenders, which created good looks at the basket for shooters such as Brett Harvey. Harvey led all Loyola scorers with 18 points on the afternoon, although collectively, the team struggled from the field.
Rudolph scored 15 points, hitting seven-of-eight attempts from the line. Sophomore Jíhared Hall shot 2-5 from behind the arch, totaling 14 points for the game.
The Hounds shot just 35 percent from the field and made just five of seven three point attempts.
With the MAAC conference tournament just around the corner, Patsos emphasized the need to play solid basketball as we enter into February. With just two home games in the next three weeks, fan support will be crucial at both of those contests. Next up for the Hounds is a road contest against Rider on February 5th.
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