It took more than nine minutes for the Loyola Greyhounds to make their first field goal of the season. It will take at least two more days to pick up their first win. Loyola came out flat to start both halves and Tigers forward Junior Hairston dominated in all phases of the game to lead Towson to an 83-69 victory Friday night in front of 3,417 fans at the Towson Center.
A 25-foot three-pointer with 10:58 left in the first half by Loyola (0-1) guard Marquis Sullivan cut the Towson (1-0) lead to 16-7 and helped the Greyhounds trim the deficit to just two points, 31-29, going into the half.
Hairston had 6 points and 10 rebounds in the first half. He finished with a game-high 26 points and a school-record 21 rebounds.
Towson has now beaten Loyola in three of its last five meetings, including a 70-62 win last season.
“This is the best victory I?ve had since I?ve been here,” Towson coach Pat Kennedy, who won his 450th career game, said. “It?s the best team win since I?ve been here with all the balance we had.”
The Tigers would again start hot, scoring seven straight points to begin the second half before another Sullivan three-pointer changed the momentum. Sullivan?s jumper made the score 38-32 with about 17 minutes remaining in regulation.
Sullivan finished with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-8 from three, for the Greyhounds.
Loyola would use a 15-8 run over the next several minutes to take a 47-46 lead, capped by a layup from guard Joe Miles on a pass from guard Gerald Brown on a fast-break. But the Tigers would respond by outscoring the Greyhounds 13-2 to take a 59-49 lead with just over nine minutes to play.
“We lost this game in the first four minutes,” Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos said. “This is my most disappointing loss in my time at Loyola, but I take full responsibility for it.”
The Greyhounds would trim the lead to five at 71-67 on a free throws by guard Brian Rudolph with 2:33 left, but it?s the closest Loyola would get the rest of the game. Hairston responded with a layup on his team?s next possession and the Tigers never looked back.
“I just wanted to crash the glass,” Hairston said. “I?ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
