Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos wasn?t as impressed with his men?s basketball team?s win against Siena on Thursday night as he was with the way it happened. The Greyhounds never trailed and dominated the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference-leading Saints, 85-56, in front of 1,943 fans at Reitz Arena and a regional television audience on MASN.
“I?m really proud of our program about a month ago people had written us off for dead,” Patsos said. “I thought our intensity was good and Gerald Brown decided his career wasn?t going to end being an overrated player on an overrated team.”
The Greyhounds continually stifled the Saints, allowing them to shoot just 25 percent in the first half and 29 percent for the game. The Saints entered the game averaging a conference-best 77.4 points per game.
Loyola (10-10, 6-3) scored the first eight points, capped by Brian Rudolph?s three-pointer just more than four minutes into the game. The Greyhounds extended their lead to 19-9 on a three-pointer by Brett Harvey, but Siena (12-7, 7-2) responded with a three pointer by guard Kenny Hasbrouck to cut the lead to just 19-12. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the first half before Brown hit a fadeaway jump shot at the buzzer for a 36-23 lead at intermission.
Brown scored 10 of his 20 points in the first half. A three-pointer just over 17 minutes into the first half put him over the 1,000-point mark just a season-and-a-half as a Greyhound.
“It?s up to us to make a difference as seniors,” Brown said. “One-thousand points is for my family and if it wasn?t for them I wouldn?t be here.”
The victory moved the Greyhound to within a game behind Siena, Marist and Rider for first place in the conference, withthe regular season champion earning a bid to the National Invitation Tournament if it does not get selected for the NCAA Tournament.
Loyola plays its next four games away from Reitz Arena, beginning with Saturday?s game at Manhattan at 4 p.m. Loyola is 2-8 on the road this season.
Consecutive three-pointers by Rudolph and forward Michael Tuck stretched the Loyola lead to 45-28 with 17:11 remaining. A three by guard Marquis Sullivan extended the lead to 56-28 just under three minutes later
The Greyhounds had their best game shooting performance ever beyond the arc, making a school-record 18-of-32 attempts, easily surpassing the old mark of 16.
Loyola put the game out of reach with 12:07 left when Siena coach Fran McCaffery was assessed a technical foul after Greyhound forward Omari Isreal drew a charge. A pair of ensuing Marquis Sullivan free throws made the score 63-33, and the Saints never recovered.
Tuck finished with a career-high 23 points and Rudolph added 10. Despite not scoring, Isreal finished with a career-high 14 rebounds.
“We really appreciate the fans coming out and there was a time when they weren?t coming,” Tuck said. “The crowd helps. You hit a big shot and you hear the roar and it helps with the emotion of the whole team.”
