Opponent	ECAC Championship Game | Fairfield Stags
Date	Friday, May 4, 2012
Time	4:00 p.m. (Mountain)
Location	Denver, Colo. | Peter Barton Stadium
TV | Radio	ESPNU | ESPN3
Series Record	Loyola leads, 12-2
Last Meeting	Loyola 8, Fairfield 6 – April 7, 2012 at Fairfield

Game Data

Loyola University Maryland will play Fairfield University in the ECAC Championship Game on Friday, May 4, at 4 p.m. (Mountain) time at Peter Barton Stadium in Denver, Colo.

The top-seeded Greyhounds defeated No. 4 seed University of Denver, 14-13, in overtime Wednesday night, and the No. 3 seed Stags topped Ohio State University, 8-7, in the other semifinal.

On The Tube And Web

The ECAC Championship Game will be broadcast live on ESPNU with Mark Larson and Dale Drypolcher calling the action.

The action can also be seen worldwide on ESPN3, the broadband arm of the ESPN.

Series History

Loyola and Fairfield will play for the 15th time in series history when the teams meet in the ECAC Championship Game. The Greyhounds hold a 12-2 advantage in the all-time series, but the Stags are 1-0 when they meet in the ECAC Championships.

The Greyhounds rallied from a two-goal fourth-quarter deficit to score the last four game to defeat Fairfield, 8-6, on April 7, 2012, in the regular-season meeting between the teams. The Stags took a 6-4 lead with 11:59 left in regulation on a John Snellman goal, but Davis Butts assisted a J.P. Dalton goal eight seconds later to start the 4-0 run that led to the win in Connecticut.

ECAC Championships History

Loyola is 1-1 in the brief two-year history of the ECAC Championships after defeating Denver, 14-13, in overtime on Wednesday night.

Last year, the second-seeded Greyhounds lost to Fairfield, the No. 3 seed, 11-9, in the ECAC Semifinal that was also held in Denver.

School-Record Tying Win

Loyola’s victory over Denver on Wednesday night was the team’s 13th of the season, tying the 1998 team for most in school history.

This season’s 13 wins came in 14 games, one fewer the same number it took the 1998 team. That squad finished with a 13-2 record after falling in the NCAA Semifinals.

In The Polls

Loyola’s first loss of the season last Saturday, to then-No. 10 Johns Hopkins, dropped the Greyhounds from the top spot nationally where they resided for two weeks.

The Greyhounds are now No. 3 in both the USILA coaches and Inside Lacrosse/Nike poll.

Fairfield is ranked 16th in both polls.

Back-To-Back OTs

It took Loyola 30 years of NCAA Division I play (the Greyhounds moved into the division in 1982) to play back-to-back overtime games, but now it has experienced the pleasure twice in two years.

Last year, Loyola defeated Fairfield, 7-6, in overtime on April 9, and it then won 6-5 in four extra periods at Georgetown on April 17, marking the first time it had played back-to-back overtime games since joining Division I.

The Greyhounds have now played two-straight overtime games, losing on April 28 at home to Johns Hopkins and defeating Denver on Wednesday night.

Comeback Thwarted

Loyola led Denver 13-6 early in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night, but the Pioneers reeled off seven goals in a row to tie the game at 13-13 with 3:30 to play.

J.P. Dalton won the next faceoff, however, and Loyola retained possession for the rest of regulation, getting off two shots that went wide.

In overtime, Scott Ratliff picked up the ground ball on the first faceoff of overtime, raced to goal and scored eight seconds into the extra frame to give Loyola a 14-13 win.

Denver’s 7-0 run to tie the game was the largest run the Greyhounds have allowed this season, topping 5-0 runs that Fairfield and Johns Hopkins put up.

Ratliff’s Scoring

Scott Ratliff had his second multi-goal game of the season on Wednesday night, raising his season totals to eight goals and six assists.

Ratliff is nearing the Loyola single-season for points by a long pole player. Current assistant coach Matt Dwan set the record during his senior season in 1995 when he tallied 11 goals and five assists while earning All-America honors.

Ratliff, a Tewaaraton Award semifinalist along with teammate Mike Sawyer, is second nationally this season in goals and points by a long pole, and his six assists are tops in the country. Bryant’s Mason Poli leads all long poles this year with 19 goals and 24 points.

Spreading Out The Scoring Wealth

Loyola’s first 11 goals on Wednesday night were scored by 11 different players. Eric Lusby, Phil Dobson and Scott Ratliff finished the game with two goals, and eight others had one.

All three members of the Greyhounds’ first midfield – Davis Butts, Chris Layne and Sean O’Sullivan – scored goals. They received four goals from the four players who make up the second midfield line – Dobson (2), Pat Byrnes and Nikko Pontrello (J.P. Dalton did not score). Extra-man attackman Kevin Ryan scored, and two of the team’s three attackmen – Mike Sawyer and Lusby (2) – recorded goals. Ratliff scored twice in transition, and short-stick defensive midfielder Josh Hawkins added one. The Greyhounds’ other attack player, Justin Ward, did not score but had a game-high three assists.

Scoring From Different Places

Kevin Ryan scored his first career goal on Wednesday night, taking a Justin Ward pass form behind the crease and one-timing a shot into the net. Ryan did not play as a freshman in 2011 but has seen action in 12 games this year from the midfield and on extra-man possessions.

Nikko Pontrello added his third goal of the season and second versus the Pioneers. He also had the game-tying goal in the third quarter of the regular-season match-up that started Loyola’s 5-1 run to close the victory.

Phil Dobson recorded his second career multi-goal game, both coming against top-flight competition. He recorded a pair earlier this season against ACC Champ Duke.

Josh Hawkins added a man-up goal after Mike Sawyer caused a turnover and Justin Ward picked up the ground ball and fed Hawkins. The goal was Hawkins’ fifth of the year, and he also had his first assist of the season on a first-quarter Scott Ratliff goal.

Twelve In A Row Ties Mark

Loyola’s 12-straight to start the season tied the school record for consecutive victories, matching the number put up by the 1998 (March 14-May 17) and 1999 (March 6-May 8).

It also matched the best start to a season, equaling the 1999 team that finished the regular-season unblemished at 12-0.

Ratliff Named ECAC Defender Of The Year

Junior long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff was named the ECAC Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, marking the second time in four years a Greyhounds’ long pole has received the award. P.T. Ricci earned the honor in 2009, as well.

Ratliff leads the ECAC with 30 caused turnovers (2.31 per game) and is seventh nationally in that category, and he is tops on the Greyhounds with 52 ground balls (4.0 per contest).

The native of Marietta, Ga., also has scored six goals and has six assists this year, keying the Greyhounds’ transition game on many occasions. He earned ECAC Co-Specialist of the Week twice during the year and was the Defensive Player of the Week early in the season.

Ratliff is one of two Greyhounds, along with Mike Sawyer on attack, who is a semifinalist for the Tewaaraton Award as the nation’s top player.

Toomey Tabbed ECAC Coach Of The Year

Loyola Head Coach Charley Toomey was named the ECAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his seven-year career. This season, Toomey guided the Greyhounds to a 12-1 mark during the regular-season and the ECAC regular-season crown with a 6-0 mark in conference play.

The Greyhounds became the second team in USILA Coaches Poll history to start a season unranked and ascend to the No. 1 spot in the rankings. The only other team was Duke in 2007 – a year after the Blue Devils had their season suspended in March – which accomplished the feat after being unranked in the first poll, moving to second in the next version and first in the third. Duke was knocked from its perch as No. 1 that season when it lost to the Greyhounds at the First Four in San Diego.

Earlier this season, Toomey won the 50th game of his coaching career, becoming the fourth coach in Loyola history to win 50 or more – Dave Cottle (181-70, 1983-2001), Charles Wenzel (62-104, 1954-1970), Jay Connor (61-46, 1975-1982).  Toomey’s .611 winning percentage trails only Cottle’s .721 at Loyola.

All-ECAC Honors

Five Loyola players earned All-ECAC Lacrosse League honors form the conference’s coaches on Monday. Long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff earned a spot as a defender on the First Team, where he was joined by Mike Sawyer on attack and Davis Butts in the midfield.

Sawyer led the ECAC during the regular-season, and was third nationally, in goals (41) and goals per game (3.15). Butts scored 15 goals and assisted on 11 from the Greyhounds first midfield line while also playing a role on the wings during face-offs with 33 ground balls.

Attack Eric Lusby and defender Joe Fletcher were tabbed to the All-ECAC Second Team. Lusby is second on the team and in the top-20 nationally with 34 goals, and he also has 10 assists this season. Fletcher came on as one of the top lock-down defenders around, earning Midseason All-American honors from Inside Lacrosse last month. He has 25 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers entering the post season.

Ratliff, Sawyer Named Tewaaraton Semifinalists

Juniors Scott Ratliff and Mike Sawyer were named to the Tewaaraton Award semifinal list as the game’s top players, making Loyola one of five schools – joining Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Massachusetts and Virginia – to have two players make the 25-man list.

Loyola is also one of six schools to have at least one male and one female semifinalist, as sophomore Marlee Paton made the women’s list from Loyola. The winners of both awards will be selected on May 31, 2012, in Washington, D.C.

40-Goal Mark

Mike Sawyer scored four goals on April 21 at Hobart and added one each against Johns Hopkins and Denver, raising his season total to 42 through 14 games. Against Hobart, he became the first Loyola player to reach 40 goals in a season since Tim Goettelmann and Gavin Prout scored 50 and 41, respectively, in 2000.

In addition to being just the third Loyola player to score 40-plus this century, Sawyer is the seventh Greyhound to reach the mark since Loyola moved to NCAA Division I status in 1982.

Big Runs

Loyola used runs of three-plus goals at important junctures of its 14 games, helping the Greyhounds to wins each time. In all, Loyola has scored three or more in a row on 28 occasions this season.

Loyola used four three-goal runs against Duke, including one three-goal streak that put Loyola up 4-1 at the beginning of the second quarter. The Greyhounds never trailed after that initial three-goal run and extended their lead to 13-5 after its fourth three-goal spurt of the game.

The Greyhounds had their longest run in almost two years against Air Force, scoring 10 in a row to open the second half. The last time Loyola scored 10 or more in a row was on March 20, 2010, when it had 14 straight against Air Force.

At Fairfield, Loyola scored the final four goals of the game to rally from a 6-4 deficit to win 8-6. The Greyhounds then scored four in a row during the third and fourth quarters at Denver that brought them from down 8-7 to a 12-9 victory.

Versus Johns Hopkins, the Greyhounds scored four in a row, holding the Blue Jays scoreless for the last 14:13 of regulation, to tie the game at 9-9, sending it to overtime.

Loyola scored the first four goals of the ECAC Semifinal game against Denver and then tallied three-straight after the Pioneers pulled within 4-2. The Greyhounds then reeled off five in a row during the third quarter to take a 13-6 lead.

On The Flip Side

Conversely, the Greyhounds have allowed a run of three or more goals just nine times this year, with the most recent coming when Denver scored three on two occasions. Only Denver (seven), Johns Hopkins (five), Fairfield (five), Air Force (four) have scored more than three in a row this year.

Following six of the nine opponent runs of three or more, Loyola has answered in kind with a run of 4-0 or better.

Sawyer, Lusby Form Rare Tandem

Graduate student Eric Lusby and junior Mike Sawyer have formed the top attack tandem in the ECAC Lacrosse League this year and one of the most balanced in the nation. The duo has combined for 78 goals in 14 games this season, an average of 5.6 per game.

Sawyer has scored 42 goals, and his 3.0 goals per game average is third-best in Division I. Lusby, meanwhile is right behind with 36 goals and a 2.57 goals per game mark, a number that is tied for 14th in the country. Loyola is one of two schools to have two players in the top 14 of goals per game nationally.

The Greyhounds have not had two players score 36 or more goals in the same season since 2000 when Tim Goettelmann set the school single-season record with 50, and Gavin Prout tallied 41. As a side note, the Goettelmann-Prout duo has gone on to highly successful professional careers. Goettelman recently retired from Major League Lacrosse as the league’s all-time leading scorer with 268 goals in 11 seasons. Prout has been an MLL Champion and has scored 314 National Lacrosse League goals to go with 625 assists as a multiple-time all-star.

On The EMO

This season, the Greyhounds are ranked second in the nation in man-up offense, scoring 52.6-percent of the time. Only Lehigh (.553) has a better mark this year.

The last time Loyola finished above .500 in man-up offense was in 1997 when it converted 39-of-77 (.506).

Second-Half Success

The Greyhounds have now outscored opponents 51-20 in the third quarters of games and 94-52 overall this year in the second half (including overtime).

The second-half scoring continues a trend from the last two seasons. Last year, Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56 two years ago.

Honorable Mention: Soccer-MISL DC United @ San Jose Earthquakes (Wednesday 10:30pm from San Jose live on Comcast SportsNet PLUS), DC United @ Toronto FC (Saturday 4pm from Toronto live on Comcast SportsNet PLUS); Pro Lacrosse-MLL Ohio Machine @ Chesapeake Bayhawks (Saturday 7pm from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium live on Comcast SportsNet/ESPN3.com); Women’s College Lacrosse: NCAA Tournament-Monmouth @ Towson (Saturday 7pm Unitas Stadium)

10. Lynyrd Skynyrd (Friday 6:30pm Pier Six Pavilion), Chicago (Sunday 6pm Pier Six Pavilion); Lupe Fiasco (Thursday 8pm Patriot Center); Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators (Thursday 7pm Rams Head Live), George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic (Friday 8pm Rams Head Live), P.O.D. (Sunday 6pm Rams Head Live); Marilyn Manson (Tuesday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring), Korn (Friday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); The Bad Plus (Tuesday 8pm Howard Theatre); fun. (Thursday 7pm Friday 8pm 9:30 Club), Eric Hutchinson (Saturday 8pm 9:30 Club), Rusted Root (Sunday 7pm 9:30 Club), Willie Nelson and Family (Monday 7pm 9:30 Club); Bob Schneider (Wednesday 7:30pm Birchmere), Mint Condition (Thursday & Friday 7:30pm Birchmere); Norah Jones “Little Broken Hearts” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

If I were going to be in town, I’d head to the Inner Harbor to check out Chicago. Honestly…

I like Eric Hutchinson. I also like women. I understand this comes as a surprise to many.

Bob Schneider made one of the best tunes of 2012…

“This is a fun tune from Norah Jones” uttered the man for the first time EVER…

9. Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL (Saturday & Sunday 1st Mariner Arena); D.L. Hughley (Friday-Sunday Baltimore Comedy Factory); Gilbert Gottfried (Friday-Sunday DC Improv); “The Avengers” in theaters (Friday); “Haywire” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday)

I don’t like to speak out of line, but if you don’t go see “The Avengers” within hours of its’ release, you are almost certainly a terrorist.

Tony Stark is the greatest fake human being of all time.

Oh-and did you not remember Haywire? Haywire was the one where Gina Carano…you know I’m just going to go ahead and stop there.

Honorable Mention: Boxing-Jermain Taylor vs. Caleb Truax (Friday 11pm from Biloxi, MS live on Showtime), Abner Mares vs. Eric Morel (Saturday 9pm from El Paso, TX live on Showtime); Tennis: ATP Tour Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (Tuesday-Friday 4:30am Saturday 7am Sunday 7:30am from Monaco live on Tennis Channel/ESPN3.com); Soccer: MLS-Montreal Impact @ DC United (Wednesday 7:30pm from RFK Stadium live on Comcast SportsNet PLUS), New York Red Bulls @ DC United (Sunday 6pm from RFK Stadium live on ESPN2); Women’s College Lacrosse: ACC Tournament-Maryland vs. Virginia Tech (Friday 2pm from Durham, NC live on ESPN3.com), ACC Championship (Monday 7pm from Durham, NC live on ESPNU)

10. Augustana (Wednesday 7pm Rams Head Live), Portugal. The Man (Thursday 7pm Rams Head Live); Charm City Devils (Saturday 6:30pm Recher Theatre); Colin Hay (Thursday 7:30pm Baltimore Soundstage); The Bacon Brothers (Thursday & Friday 6:30pm & 9pm Rams Head on Stage), WAR (Sunday 5pm & 8pm Rams Head on Stage); Fountains of Wayne/James Iha (Thursday 7pm 9:30 Club), NEEDTOBREATHE (Saturday 8pm Sunday 7pm 9:30 Club); Glen Campbell (Tuesday & Wednesday 7:30pm Birchmere), Bela Fleck & The Flecktones (Monday 7:30pm Birchmere); Bad Brains (Friday 8pm Howard Theater); Daryl Hall/Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (Friday 8pm Warner Theatre); Bowling For Soup (Saturday 8pm Stevenson University); Johns Hopkins Spring Fair feat. Passion Pit (Friday-Sunday, Passion Pit show Friday 7pm JHU Rec Center); UMBC Quadmania feat. Gym Class Heroes (Friday-Sunday, Gym Class Heroes show Saturday 7pm RAC Arena); Neon Trees “Picture Show” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

You know I’ll be at Recher Saturday night supporting the very awesome John Allan and CCD. My only issue with “Man of Constant Sorrow” is that I can’t fathom a human being leaving Kentucky…

I don’t particularly know anything about NEEDTOBREATHE but I DO know I dig this tune…

If Daryl Hall had Fitz & The Tantrums as his touring house band, I’d go to every show…

I probably shouldn’t admit how much I dig Neon Trees…

9. Ron White (Thursday 7:30pm Meyerhoff Symphony Hall); Eddie Griffin (Friday & Saturday Magooby’s Joke House); Norm MacDonald (Friday & Saturday Baltimore Comedy Factory); Wendy Liebman (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv); Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol available on DVD/Blu-Ray (Tuesday); Tax Day (Tuesday)

I think I’m gonna go see Norm MacDonald. Because Norm MacDonald is funny. See below.

Also, it’s Tax Day Tuesday. I don’t think I’m getting any money back (do you have to make money for that?), but if I did I know exactly how I’d spend it…

There isn’t anything…in the world…I want more than a LoveSac.

Continue Reading

Honorable Mention: Mixed Martial Arts-Bellator Fighting Championships 64 (Friday 8pm from Windsor, Ontario, Canada live on MTV2); Women’s College Lacrosse: Maryland @ North Carolina (Saturday 3pm from Chapel Hill, NC live on ESPN3.com); Soccer: Team USA Women vs. Brazil (Tuesday 7am from Chiba, Japan live on ESPN2), MLS-Seattle Sounders @ DC United (Saturday 7:30pm RFK Stadium)

10. Alabama Shakes (Saturday 8pm Rams Head Live); Cody Canada/Shooter Jennings (Friday 8pm Recher Theatre); Kevin Costner & Modern West (Tuesday & Wednesday 8pm Rams Head on Stage); Snow Patrol (Friday 7pm Saturday 8pm 9:30 Club); Moody Blues (Tuesday 8pm D.A.R. Constitution Hall); Of Monsters And Men “My Head Is An Animal” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

I’ll be at RHL Saturday night because I’m ALL IN…

I wish I could tell you I enjoyed The Moody Blues. Sadly I do not. But here’s this because there’s not much going on this week…

Now here’s Snow Patrol. Look, if Paul McCartney was playing this week I’d post something of his…

I think I posted the studio version of “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men last week. But I’m posting them again this week because THEY’RE REALLY FREAKING GOOD…

9. Mike Epps (Saturday 8pm 1st Mariner Arena); Kevin James (Wednesday 7:30pm Warner Theatre); Royal Comedy Tour feat. Bruce Bruce, Sommore, Mark Curry, Earthquake (Saturday 8pm Show Place Arena); “War Horse” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); “American Reunion” out in theaters (Friday)

We’re going to see “American Reunion” Thursday night/Friday morning at midnight in White Marsh. If you’re not going to see “American Reunion” Thursday night/Friday morning at midnight you’re a terrible human being and I don’t want to be your friend. So just make it simple and come with us. We’ll probably hit Tilted Kilt before then.

But honestly, if you don’t go see this movie you’re just the worst person of all time…

#2 Maryland (31-4)
vs.
#1 Notre Dame (33-3)
Tues., March 27 | 9 p.m.
Raleigh, N.C. (PNC Arena)
TV: ESPN/ESPN3.com
The second-seeded Maryland women’s basketball team will tip off against top-seeded Notre Dame Tuesday at 9 p.m. in the Regional Final of the Raleigh Region in the NCAA Tournament.

This will be the sixth meeting overall between the Terrapins and the Irish, and the first meeting since 2007. Maryland owns the series, 4-1.

Behind two comebacks and a 21-4 run to end the game, Maryland rallied past Texas A&M 81-74 on Sunday in the Regional Semifinals. The Terps advanced to their fourth Elite Eight under head coach Brenda Frese.

Laurin Mincy had 21 points and for her career-high 12 rebounds for her first career double-double. Alyssa Thomas added 21 points and nine rebounds for the second-seeded Terrapins. They trailed by 18 points in the first half and by 11 midway through the second half, but Maryland fought its way back and held the defending national champion Aggies to just one basket in the final 7 1/2 minutes.

The Terrapins have won 10 straight and 13 of 14 since Jan. 26. This is their first time in a regional final for the first time since 2009, when they were also in Raleigh.

The Terrapins are 31-18 (.633) all-time in NCAA Tournament games. Frese owns an NCAA Tournament record of 20-7 (.741) and 19-6 (.760) at Maryland. Frese has led the Terps to eight NCAA Tournament appearances, four Elite Eights and the 2006 national championship.

What’s Next

The winner of Tuesday’s game heads to the Final Four in Denver next weekend.

#2 Maryland (30-4)
vs.
#3 Texas A&M (24-10)
Sun., March 25 | Noon
Raleigh, N.C. (PNC Arena)
TV: ESPN/ESPN3.com

• The second-seeded Maryland women’s basketball team will take on third-seeded Texas A&M Sunday at noon at PNC Arena in Raleigh.
• For tickets to Sunday’s game, log on to umterps.com or call 1-800-IM-A-TERP.
• This will be the first-ever meeting between Maryland and Texas A&M.
• This is Maryland’s 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and eighth in head coach Brenda Frese’s 10 years. Frese has led the Terrapins to four Sweet Sixteens, three Elite Eights and the 2006 National Championship. Her all-time NCAA Tournament record is 19-7 (.731) and 18-6 at Maryland (.750). The Terrapins have earned a top-two seed five times under Frese.
• Frese was named a WBCA Regional Coach of the Year Thursday, which makes her one of eight finalists for the Division I Coach of the Year honor.
• Maryland is 30-18 (.625) all-time in NCAA Tournament games and 14-3 (.824) in NCAA Tournament games in College Park.
• Most recently, the Terps beat seventh-seeded Louisville, 72-68, in College Park Monday in the Second Round. Laurin Mincy led with 24 points, while Tianna Hawkins added 15 points and 14 rebounds.
  

  Media Information

• Sunday’s game will be shown on ESPN and online on ESPN3.com.
  

  What’s Next

• Winner of Sunday’s game advances to face either #1 Notre Dame or #5 St. Bonaventure in Monday’s Regional Final at 9 p.m. in Raleigh.

NCAA SECOND ROUND
#2 Maryland (29-4)
vs.
#7 Louisville (23-9)
Mon., March 19 | 7 p.m.
College Park, Md. (Comcast Center)
TV: ESPN2/ESPN3.com 

• The second-seeded Maryland women’s basketball team will tip off against seventh-seeded Louisville Monday at 7 p.m. in the NCAA Tournament Second Round at Comcast Center.
• The Terrapins (29-4) beat 15th-seeded Navy (18-14) 59-44 Saturday in the First Round behind 17 points and 10 rebounds from ACC Player of the Year Alyssa Thomas and 14 points from Laurin Mincy.
• This will be the second meeting between Maryland and Louisville. The Cardinals won the first meeting, 77-60, on March 30, 2009 in the Elite Eight in Raleigh.
• Sophomore Alyssa Thomas became the 27th player in Maryland women’s basketball history to break the 1000-point plateau against Navy Saturday. She is the second-fastest Terrapin to reach the mark. She needed 63 career games and Crystal Langhorne did it in 60.
• This weekend will mark Maryland’s 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and eighth in head coach Brenda Frese’s 10 years. Frese has led the Terrapins to three Elite Eights and the 2006 National Championship. Her all-time NCAA Tournament record is 18-7 (.720) and 17-6 at Maryland (.739). The Terrapins have earned a top-two seed five times under Frese.
• Maryland is 29-18 (.614) all-time in NCAA Tournament games and 13-3 (.813) in NCAA Tournament games in College Park.
  

  Media Information

• Monday’s game can be seen on ESPN2 or online at ESPN3.com.
  

  What’s Next

• Winner of Monday’s game advances to Sunday’s Regional Semifinal in Raleigh, N.C.

The UMBC (2-2) men’s lacrosse team hurdled the first obstacle in a challenging week as the Retrievers knocked off No. 4 Maryland, 8-7, at UMBC Stadium on Tuesday evening, March 6. Just four days later, UMBC has the assignment of taking on No. 2 Johns Hopkins (4-0) at M&T Bank Stadium at the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic. The opening face-off is scheduled to take place at 4:00 p.m. Game coverage includes ESPN3 with John Brickley and Paul Carcaterra on the call.

SCOUTING THE RETRIEVERS

The UMBC men’s lacrosse team scored five unanswered fourth-quarter goals and rallied to defeat No. 4 Maryland, 8-7, at UMBC Stadium on March 6. It was the Retrievers’ first victory over a top-five program since a 9-7 win over No. 5 Maryland in March of 2009. UMBC was ranked No. 10 at that time.

Junior attackman Scott Jones led UMBC with two goals and one assist, while sophomore midfielder Conor Finch posted his first three points of the season with a goal and two helpers, all in the fourth quarter. Jones scored both the go-ahead (7th) goal and eventual (8th) game-winning goal. Sophomore midfielder Zach Linkous added two goals for UMBC.

Sophomore face-off specialist Phil Poe controlled 15 of 19 draws in the contest against a team that entered the game at 61.4 percent.

Jones and Linkous lead UMBC with nine goals apiece through four games.

All four games for the Retrievers this season have been decided by four or fewer goals. Three of the four have been tied at some point in the fourth quarter.

SCOUTING THE BLUE JAYS

Johns Hopkins is coming off an 11-0 shutout win over Manhattan on Tuesday. The Jaspers managed only 14 shots against the Blue Jays. Junior midfielder John Greeley scored three goals for the Jays, as eight different JHU players hit the nets.

Junior attackman Zach Palmer leads the Jays in scoring with 7 goals and 10 assists. Another native of Canada, sophomore attackman Brandon Benn leads the way in goal-scoring with 8. Hopkins is allowing only 5.00 goals per game and junior netminder Pierce Bassett has a 60.9 save percentage in five starts.

The Blue Jays have outscored their foes, 50-25, this year, including 39-16 through the first three quarters.

Johns Hopkins is 106-29 (.784) in its last 135 regular season games dating back to the end of the 2001 season and 123-37 (.767) overall since the start of the 2002 season.

Johns Hopkins made its 40th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. By comparison, the next six longest active streaks of qualifying for the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament add up to exactly 40 consecutive appearances (Maryland-9, Cornell-8, Virginia-7, Notre Dame-6, Duke-5, North Carolina-5).

THE SERIES

Prior to the 2012 season, UMBC men’s lacrosse had competed against 75 different institutions in men’s lacrosse and had a minimum of one victory against 74 of those schools. The exception is Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays are 9-0 vs. the Retrievers. (UMBC lost its first-ever meeting with Robert Morris to start the 2012 campaign.)

The two schools resumed their series in 2005 and have met in each of the past seven seasons. Three of those seven meetings have been decided by three goals or less, with the closest occurring in 2008, when Hopkins prevailed, 10-8.

Last season’s 16-5 triumph by Johns Hopkins at the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic tied the greatest goal differential in the series (15-4 in the first meeting in 1983 in Don Zimmerman’s first game as a Blue Jay mentor).

Dave Brown scored a pair of goals for UMBC, while sophomore attackman Joe Lustgarten contributed a goal and an assist. Adam Cohen made one of his two starts in 2011 in the game and recorded 11 saves.

Rob Grimm has four goals and one assist in three previous games vs. Johns Hopkins.

UP NEXT: UMBC has a rare two-week break between games prior to resuming a series with local rival Loyola. The Retrievers and Greyhounds will square off at UMBC Stadium for the first time since 2004 on Sat., March 24 at 7:00 p.m.

*****

TOP DAWG: In 2009, Head Coach Don Zimmerman earned his third America East Coach of the Year honors in the four years.  Zimmerman entered the 2012 season 9th in victories (208) and 14th in winning percentage (61.5%) amongst active Division I coaches. The win over Binghamton on April 10, 2010 was the 200th in the career of UMBC head coach Don Zimmerman. He is now 210-131 in his 26th year as a collegiate mentor. Zimmerman is the 10th active coach to record 200 victories. He coached his 250th game at UMBC vs. Hartford on May 4, 2012.

Zimmerman’s Records
Career Record:  210-132 (.614) (26th season)
at UMBC:                137-117 (.539) (19th season)

TEAM CAPTAINS: The UMBC men’s lacrosse team has selected senior attackman Rob Grimm (Black River, N.Y./Carthage), junior attackman Scott Jones (Port Coquitlam, B.C./Terry Fox) and junior long-stick midfielder Ethan Murphy (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca East) as its captains for the 2011-12 season.

“We are pleased with the selection of Rob, Scott and Ethan as this year’s captains,” head coach Don Zimmerman said. “They are outstanding individuals in their own right, and this trio will now have the opportunity to work together as leaders, representing the 2012 Retrievers on and off the playing field.”

CONGRATS: Four returning players received their first conference accolades. Junior attackman Scott Jones and junior defender Sam McKelvey earned Second Team All-Conference honors. Sophomore Zach LInkous was named to the league’s All-Rookie Team and sophomore Neill Lewnes earned a spot on the conference’s All-Academic squad.

Sixty Retrievers have been honored by the America East Conference on all-league teams since 2004.

BEASTS OF AMERICA EAST: UMBC is now 33-9 in eight years of America East competition and 18-3 at UMBC Stadium.

In 2011, The Retrievers (6-7, 3-2 AEC) had a winning league record and earned a spot in the four-team America East Conference Championships for the eighth consecutive year.

WINNING THE TIGHT ONES: UMBC is now 24-14 in games decided by three goals or less since the beginning of the 2007 season. UMBC had won eight straight overtime decisions from 2007-09 until dropping a Feb. 20, 2010 triple overtime decision to Delaware. UMBC’s previous overtime loss was an 11-10 setback at Penn early in the 2006 season.

But, in 2012, UMBC has dropped a two-goal decision to Robert Morris and an overtime heartbreaker to Fairfield. The loss to the Stags snapped a four-game winning streak in one-goal games, which dated back to a 6-5 loss to Princeton in 2009. Three days later, the Retrievers rebounded from the Fairfield disappointment to defeat No. 4 Maryland by a single goal, 8-7.

UMBC has won 16 of its last 21 one-goal decisions.

UMBC is now 15-6 in Don Zimmerman’s 19 seasons in overtime and in his career, Coach Zimmerman is 17-8 in extra time.

HOME, SWEET HOME: After 14 consecutive winning seasons at UMBC Stadium, the Retrievers were 1-6 at home in 2010. However, UMBC bounced back to go 4-1 last year and is 35-13 (.729) at home since 2006.

THE HITS JUST KEEP COMING: UMBC’s 45 wins over a four-year period (2006-09) is the most in the school’s history, surpassing the 42 wins recorded from 1974-1977. For the first time in school history, UMBC won 10 or more games in four consecutive seasons.

Programs With Most Victories, 2006-09
1. Virginia 58
2. Duke 56
3. Cornell 50
4. Syracuse 47
5. UMBC 45

DON’T LOOK BACK: UMBC is now in its 45th season of varsity men’s lacrosse with a record of 335-277 (.547). The Retrievers played their 600th intercollegiate match on March 18, 2012 at Maryland. They are 219-212 (.508) in their 31st year at the Division I level, achieving win No. 200
vs. Ohio State on March 21, 2009. Before the win over Towson on April 1, 2008, the last time the program was last over the .500 mark at the Division I level was when at the end of its third season (1983) when the record was 19-18.

POWERFUL POWER PLAY: UMBC has been nationally ranked in man-up percentage in four of the past six years. In 2009, the Retrievers led the country in man-up situations and set a school record by converting on 51.7% (30 of 57) of its opportunities.

Year    Man-Up Pct. Year-End National Rank
2009    .517            1st
2007    .464            5th
2006    .417            7th
2005    .444            2nd
2004    .379            10th

To date in 2012, UMBC has scored on 4 of 22 man-up opportunities. They did not commit a penalty in the opener vs. Robert Morris and have only been flagged six times in four games and all six have been minor fouls. UMBC has killed off of those man-down situations.

Junior attackman Rob Grimm is UMBC’s active scoring leader with 96 points (45-51-95). He needs 4 points to become the 29th player in school history to hit the 100-point plateau.  Grimm has points in 40 of 47 games played in his career.

Grimm’s Five-Point Games
March 31, 2009  2g, 3a vs. Towson
Feb. 19, 2011           1g, 4a at Presbyterian
March 5, 2011           3g, 2a at North Carolina
April 6, 2011           3g, 2a vs. Towson
May 3, 2012             4g, 1a at Hartford

HAT TRICKS: Zach Linkous recorded UMBC’s first hat trick of the season (his first career hat trick) and tacked on two more goals for UMBC’s second five-goal effort in the last two years vs. Rutgers… Junior Scott Jones had the most recent effort at Albany on April 16, 2012. Jones has five 3+ goal games (Presbyterian, Maryland, Albany, Vermont in 2011/Fairfield in 2012); Dave Brown has a pair (4g at Presbyterian, 3g vs. Binghamton, 2011) as does Rob Grimm (UNC, Hartford, 2011), Scott Hopmann (Presbyterian, ‘11) and Joe Lustgarten (Hartford, ‘11)  have one apiece.

A IS FOR ADAM: Junior goalkeeper Adam Cohen was named America East Conference Men’s Lacrosse Player of the Week for games ending Feb. 26, 2012. Cohen scored UMBC’s final goal of the day with 1:39 remaining at Rutgers and it is believed to be the first goal scored by a Retriever
goalkeeper in 32 years of NCAA Division I competition. He made seven fourth-quarter saves and turned a late Knight turnover into a one-man clear and goal to punctuate his first victory since a 8-7 overtime win at Vermont on April 24, 2010. Cohen’s first career win also occurred at Rutgers, a 6-5 victory on Feb. 28, 2010.

Cohen made six of his eight saves, allowing just one goal, in the fourth quarter in the 8-7 victory over Maryland.

ZACH PACK: Zach Linkous scored the game’s first goal vs. Rutgers, had two in the second quarter and another pair in the third stanza. Linkous, an America East All-Rookie team selection in 2011, scored a season-best two goals on two occasions in his freshman campaign an added a pair in the
opener vs. Robert Morris. His nine goals have already surpassed his season total (6) of 2011.

WHAT BROWN CAN DO FOR YOU: Dave Brown posted a six-point game (1 goal, 5 assists) at Albany on April 16. The five assists in a game was tied for sixth in the nation last season and was UMBC’s top-assist game since Drew Westervelt had six vs. Vermont on April 21, 2007. Brown opened the 2012 season with a pair of assists vs. Robert Morris and posted 2-2-4 in the win at Rutgers.

CROW ABOUT POE: Sophomore face-off specialist Phil Poe won 15 draws (15-6) vs. RMU in the opener and captured 15 more (15-4) on March 6 vs. No. 4 Maryland. The last Retriever to capture 15 face-offs in a game was Taylor Marino, who garnered 19 in America East Championship victory over Albany on May 3, 2008. Poe has attempted all but two draws through four games in 2012.

VACUUMS: Junior midfielder Neill Lewnes and sophomore LSM Nathan Klein each contributed five ground balls and two caused turnovers apiece at Rutgers. Lewnes, who led UMBC with 41 ground balls in 2011, is the club leader with 20 through four games in 2012. Junior defender Ethan Murphy scooped up a career-high six ground balls vs. Maryland.

FIRST-TIMERS: Senior defender Aaron Verardi and freshman attack man Derek Bertolini each scored their first career goals in the game vs. Fairfield. Bertolini produced his first career multiple-point game (1-1-2) vs. Maryland.

PTP: Sophomore midfielder Conor Finch produced his best game, er, quarter, vs. the Terrapins on March 6. He contributed three points (1g, 2a) in UMBC’s 5-1 15-minute surge and took a leading role in the comeback victory.

LOWS AND HIGHS: UMBC committed a season-low 12 turnovers in the game and caused a season-high 11 Fairfield miscues.

FINIISHING KICK: The Retrievers have been outscored, 19-13, in the first half this season, but have turned the tables in the second half, with a 23-14 advantage on the scoreboard.

Honorable Mention: Boxing-Orlando Salido vs. Juan Manuel Lopez (Saturday 10pm from San Juan, Puerto Rico live on Showtime); Mixed Martial Arts: Bellator Fighting Championships 60 (Friday 8pm from Hammond, IN live on MTV2); Soccer: MISL Eastern Division Final-Rochester Lancers @ Baltimore Blast (Saturday 7:35pm 1st Mariner Arena, Leg 2 Monday 7pm in Rochester); Tennis: ATP Tour/WTA Tour BNP Paribas Open (Saturday-Monday 2pm from Indian Wells, CA live on Tennis Channel); Charm City Roller Girls (Saturday 5:30pm Du Burns Arena)

10. Black Keys/Arctic Monkeys (Friday 8pm Verizon Center); Boyce Avenue (Wednesday 6:30pm Rams Head Live), Pat Green (Friday 8pm Rams Head Live), moe. (Saturday 8pm Rams Head Live), Orgy (Sunday 6:30pm Rams Head Live); Cris Jacobs Band (Friday 8pm 8×10 Club), Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers (Saturday 8pm 8×10 Club); Kindred the Family Soul (Friday 7:30pm Baltimore Soundstage); Playing for Change Band (Wednesday 8pm Rams Head on Stage); Mutemath (Saturday 7pm 9:30 Club), Young The Giant/Grouplove (Sunday 7pm 9:30 Club); Experience Hendrix feat. Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd (Tuesday 8pm Strathmore); Travis Tritt (Tuesday 7:30pm Birchmere); North Mississippi All-Stars (Saturday 9pm State Theatre); Bruce Springsteen “Wrecking Ball” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

The Black Keys sold out the Verizon Center. That’s amazing. I’ll most look forward to the part where the place that usually houses smelly Caps fans turns into one large Phoenix Coyotes rally…

Boyce Avenue is not an act I should ever voluntarily admit to enjoying. I should ABSOLUTELY never admit to enjoying their cover of Rihanna’s “Umbrella”…

The PFC band is fantastic. You’ll probably remember this…

Young The Giant authored perhaps the single most underrated song of 2011…

9. Bill Bellamy (Thursday-Saturday Baltimore Comedy Factory); Kevin Pollak (Thursday-Saturday Magooby’s Joke House); Todd Glass (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv); Baltimore St. Patrick’s Day Parade/Shamrock 5K (Sunday 1:15pm Inner Harbor/Downtown Baltimore); “Friends With Kids” opens in theaters (Friday)

One-I love a good St. Patty’s Day throw down a week before the 17th. In honor of that, I think I’ll make a stop at the Tilted Kilt in White Marsh after the parade…

Note: I’m aware that’s a Scotish thing. It’s late. I’m tired.

Note 2: Does it really matter anyway?

And since we’re here, I actually think “Friends With Kids” has a bit of a “watchable chick flick” feel. It also has Jon Hamm. As in THIS Jon Hamm…

Opponent	MAAC Championship – Fairfield Stags
Date	Monday, March 5, 2012
Time	7:00 p.m.
Location	Springfield, Mass. | MassMutual Center
TV	ESPN2
Series Record	Fairfield leads, 36-16
Last Meeting	Fairfield 58, Loyola 51 – Feb. 10, 2012 at Loyola

Game Data

Loyola University Maryland will make its second appearance in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship Game, and its first since March 7, 1994, when it takes on Fairfield University on Monday, March 5, at 7 o’clock.

Springfield, Mass., and the MassMutual Center will host all games in the tournament.

Watch Or Listen

The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Bob Wischusen calling the play-by-play and Len Elmore providing the analysis. It will also be broadcast worldwide on ESPN3.com.

Been A Little While

Loyola is making its first trip to the MAAC Championship Game in 18 seasons, a span of 17 years, 11 months and 27 days. In all, it will have been 6,573 days between MAAC Championship Games for the Greyhounds.

This year’s freshmen – Tyler Hubbard and R.J. Williams – were less than one year old the last time Loyola played in the title match.

MAAC Championships History

Loyola is competing in the MAAC Championships for the 23rd year. The Greyhounds are 10-21 all-time in the championships.

Sunday was just Loyola fifth trip to the MAAC semifinals, joining the teams from 1994, 1998, 2007 and 2008. The Greyhounds are now 2-3 all-time in the semifinals.

The Greyhounds won their only MAAC Championship Game appearance, as the late Skip Prosser coached Loyola to an 80-75 win over Manhattan.

Series History

Loyola and Fairfield will meet for the 53rd time on the hardwood Monday night with the Stags entering the game with a 36-16 advantage in the previous meetings.

The teams split the regular-season meetings with each winning on the other’s home court.

Fairfield defeated Loyola, 68-51, when the Stags visited Reitz Arena on February 12. Four Stag starters scored in double figures, led by Rakim Sanders’ 13. Robert Olson and Erik Etherly both finished with 17 for the Greyhounds.

The Greyhounds won the first meeting between the two, 66-63, on January 13, at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn. Loyola rallied form a 15-point halftime deficit in the second half to win.. The Greyhounds trailed by seven with 2:07 left when Olson scored seven in a row to tie the game with 1:19 to go. Five of his points came as the direct result of Dylon Cormier steals in the backcourt. Etherly led all players with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Olson finished with 15, Cormier added 12, and Justin Drummond scored 10. Sanders had 17 for Fairfield.

Hitting 21 Twice

Erik Etherly has posted back-to-back 20-point games for the first time in his career over the Greyhounds two MAAC Championships games. He finished with 21 against both Niagara and Siena, leading Loyola against the Saints.

In the two games, Etherly has made 16-of-26 (.615) field goals and 9-of-12 (.750) from the foul line. On Sunday against Siena, Etherly drained the third 3-pointer of his collegiate career, all this season, with the shot clock winding down on a second-half possession.

Hot Shooting

Loyola recorded its best shooting performance of the season on Saturday night against Niagara, going 29-of-46 from the floor, good for 63-percent.

The outing was 10 percentage points better than the Greyhounds’ previous best this season when they shot 52.9-percent from the field (27-of-51) at Bucknell on December 28, 2011.

Loyola’s 29 field goals made were its second-most of the year, behind the 32 it made on February 10 against Iona.

The Greyhounds continued their good shooting in the MAAC Semifinal against Siena, making 50.9-percent of their shots (27-of-53). Loyola also converted on 7-of-13 3-pointers, for its second-best 3-point percentage of the season, 53.8-percent.

Sharing The Rock

Loyola matched its season-high with 18 assists against Siena, tying the mark it posted in two games against Canisius and in a non-conference game versus Florida Gulf Coast, all Greyhound wins.

Three Loyola players – Robert Olson (6), R.J. Williams (5) and Anthony Winbush (3) – combined for 14 of the assists.

Olson’s six were a career-best, and it brought his MAAC Championships total to five after he matched his previous career-high with five in the quarterfinal.

The Greyhounds improved to 8-0 this season when Williams has four or more assists.

Big Buckets By Bush

Anthony Winbush has scored only nine points in the Greyhounds’ two MAAC Championships games, but three of his field goals have come at critical junctures in the victories.

On Sunday, he tallied Loyola’s fifth and sixth points of the game, scoring in the paint at 12:13 to stop an 11-0 Siena run that had the Saints ahead 11-4. He then made a jumper at 6:31 that put the Greyhounds ahead 17-16 in the first half.

In Friday night’s victory, Winbush’s first half basket with 2:32 on the clock broke a 31-31 tie.

Stretch Of Threes

When Kyle Downey cut through the lane and laid in a basket with 16:42 to go in regulation, it pulled Siena within three, 32-29. Robert Olson responded for the Greyhounds, however, knocking down a three at 16:25 that started a 12-4 Greyhounds run that saw the Greyhounds go 4-of-4 from 3-point range.

Dylon Cormier and Shane Walker each hit threes during the span, and Olson capped it with a three off the dribble at 14:12, making Loyola’s lead 44-33.

Against The Nation’s Leading Rebounder

Loyola held Siena’s O.D. Anosike, the leading rebounder in NCAA Division I, to a season-low five boards. It was just the fourth time this season Anoskie, who entered the game averaging 12.8 rebounds per game, was held to single-digits on the glass. His previous low this season was eight.

Last Time Out

Siena, which led by eight early in the first half, cut Loyola’s second-half advantage to 32-29 on a Kyle Downey layup, but Robert Olson hit a three on the ensuing possession, triggering a 12-4 Loyola run that saw the Greyhounds make four-straight threes.

The Saints got within seven at two points after Olson’s second three capped the run, but they could not draw closer.

Erik Etherly led all scorers with 21 points, and three other Greyhounds joined him in double-figures. Shane Walker and Robert Olson each had 12 points, and Justin Drummond added 10.

Cormier & Etherly Over 20

For the third time this season, Dylon Cormier and Erik Etherly both eclipsed the 20-point mark in the same game. Cormier finished with a game-high 23, and Etherly had 21.

The duo previously topped 20 together at UMBC and at home against Iona, both Greyhounds’ wins. Etherly now has four 20-point games this season after tallying 21 against Siena. Cormier has hit the plateau eight times this year.

Walker’s Double-Double

Shane Walker notched his third double-double of the season on Saturday night, going for 13 points and 12 rebounds. He scored nine of his points in the first half, scoring seven of Loyola’s first nine points of the game. He also had four assists and blocked two shots in 37 minutes of action.

Bouncing Back From Three

It took over 22 minutes of game action against Niagara, but the Greyhounds hit their first 3-pointer since Justin Drummond made one with 7:59 to play at Rider on Friday, February 24. The Greyhounds snapped a streak of 331 games with at least one 3-pointer last Sunday when they went 0-of-8 against Manhattan.

In all, the Greyhounds went more than 70 minutes without sinking a three until Dylon Cormier hit one with 17:51 to play in regulation. That shot also gave Loyola the lead for good in the game.

Loyola broke out of the slump in the second half, going 5-of-7 from behind the arc after the break.

First Time As A Two

Loyola entered the MAAC Championships as a No. 2 seed for the first time in 23 trips to the tournament. Prior to this year, the Greyhounds had never been higher than a three seed, the slot they held in 2006-2007.

Best MAAC Finish

Loyola defeated Manhattan last Sunday afternoon to earn its 13th Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference victory of the season, setting a program record in the process.

The Greyhounds twice finished their MAAC schedule 12-6 (2006-2007 and 2007-2008), a game shy of this year’s record.

Loyola also finished alone in second place in the conference standings, improving on its previous best finish when it tied for second with a 10-4 league mark in 1996-1997.

20-Win Season

The Greyhounds’ victory over Boston University on February 19 was their 20th of the season, setting a school Division I record.

Loyola, which moved to NCAA Division I in 1981-1982, had won 19 games in 2007-2008 and 18 in 2006-2007.

The overall school record for victories, 25, game in 1948-1949.

Patsos Named Coach Of The Year

On Thursday night, Jimmy Patsos became the first Loyola coach to earn The Rock/Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors by a vote of his peers in the league.

Patsos has guided the Greyhounds to a school Division I high 23 wins and a program MAAC record 13 victories. He earned his 100th career coaching victory in November and led the Greyhounds to the No. 2 seed in the MAAC Championships.

Drummond Picks Up 6th Man Award

Justin Drummond became the fifth Loyola player to earn MAAC 6th Man Of the Year honors in the last eight seasons when he picked up the award on Thursday night. He led all bench players in the league with 11.1 points, fourth on the team, and he was third on the squad with 4.2 rebounds per game.

Drummond joins Charlie Bell (2005), Michael Tuck (2007), Marquis Sullivan (2008) and J’hared Hall (2011) as Jimmy Patsos-coached players to win the award.

All-MAAC Honors

For the first time since the league expanded to three All-MAAC teams in 1998, four Greyhounds received all-league honors, topping all teams in the conference. Erik Etherly was named to the All-MAAC First Team, Dylon Cormier to the Second, and Justin Drummond and Robert Olson to the Third.

Loyola led all teams in the MAAC with its four selections, just in front of Iona’s three.

The Greyhounds’ previous high was at the end of the 1997-1998 season when Mike Powell (1st), Jason Rowe (2nd) and Roderick Platt (3rd) earned All-MAAC honors.

Etherly led Loyola in scoring (13.3) and rebounding (7.4) during conference play, and he is second overall on the team with 13.4 points per game. He also is tied for fourth in the league with teammate Shane Walker with 39 blocked shots, and he is fourth in field-goal percentage (.540).

Cormier has led the team throughout the season in scoring with a 13.9 points, and he has shot 46.5-percent from the field. Cormier is third in the conference with 1.7 steals per game, and he has topped the 20-point mark eight times this year.

Drummond has come off the bench in 26 of the Greyhounds’ 30 games this year and is fourth on the team with 11.1 points per game. The guard is also third in rebounding (4.2). He has scored in double figures 15 times this year.

Olson has been one of the top 3-point shooters in the conference this year. He has shot .440 from behind the arc, second-best in the MAAC, and has averaged 11.3 points per game. The junior guard entered the month of January averaging less than nine points per game, but since then he has been the team’s second-leading scorer at nearly 13 a contest.

More Than 60 Years

The last time the Loyola men’s basketball program won 20 games in a season, 1948-1949, the following things were going on in the world, 63 years ago:

Harry Truman began his first full term as President of the United States.

Arthur Miller’s Death Of A Salesman premiered on Broadway.

NATO was formed.

The Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League merged to form the NBA.

The first jet-powered airliner, the de Havilland Comet, took flight.

Billy Joel, Joe Theismann, Bruce Springsteen & Meryl Streep were born.

Milestones And Firsts

Loyola has accomplished several milestones and firsts throughout the 2011-2012 season. Here is a sample of a few:

First 20-win season in Division I history.

Program MAAC record with 13 league wins and best conference finish (2nd).

Tied school Division I record with eight non-conference wins (1993-1994).

Longest winning streak in school Division I history (8, Nov. 14-Dec. 10). Also, second longest winning streak in D-I history (7, Jan. 19-Feb. 10).

First back-to-back sellouts of Reitz Arena since the venue opened in 1984 (Feb. 3 and 10).

Snapped Bucknell’s 18-game home court winning streak.

Winning Without A Three

Loyola completed a rare accomplishment at Manhattan, defeating the Jaspers despite not making a 3-pointer in the game. The Greyhounds attempted just eight from behind the arc.

The last time the Greyhounds won a game without making a 3-pointer was February 27, 1996, when they defeated Siena, 67-53, in Reitz Arena, a span of 438 games. Loyola was 0-of-9 in that win over the Saints.

No Starters In Double-Figures

Loyola also won the Manhattan game without a starter in double-figures. Dylon Cormier and Erik Etherly each scored nine from the starting line, but Justin Drummond (13) and Anthony Winbush (12) scored 25 of the Greyhounds’ 29 bench points in the win.

The last time no starters scored in double figures was on November 24, 2010, when the Greyhounds lost 51-48 at Vermont.

It was the first time Loyola had won a MAAC game without having a starter score 10 or more, going back to the 1989-1990 season when the Greyhounds joined the conference.

Rally Caps

The February 26 win at Manhattan was the third time this season that the Greyhounds came back from a 10-plus goal deficit to win. Manhattan led by 11 four times, including with 11:36 in the second half. The Greyhounds also rallied form 15-point deficits to defeat Boston University at home and Fairfield on the road.

Balanced Offense

Loyola overcame a low scoring afternoon in the Manhattan win when just two players, Justin Drummond (13) and Anthony Winbush (12) topped 10 points.

Loyola is 11-2 this season when four or more players score in double figures, and prior to the defeat at Rider, it had not lost since the season-opener on November 11 at Wake Forest. The Greyhounds are also 21-3 when three or more players top 10.

Transversely, the Greyhounds are just 2-5 when two or fewer players tally 10 or more with their only wins coming on December 7 at George Washington and at Manhattan.

45-Percent Or Better

Loyola improved to 13-1 this season when shooting 45.0-percent or better from the field with its win over Siena. The only loss the Greyhounds have suffered when shooting that mark or better was on February 24 when they went 25-of-55 (.455) from the field at Rider and lost by four.

Telling Stats

Loyola’s three most recent losses underscored the importance for the Greyhounds of capitalizing on a few areas of the box score. Seven of Loyola’s eight losses have come when scoring fewer transition points – and the eighth loss was in a game that the teams tied in the category – than its opponents.

The Greyhounds also dropped to 2-6 this year in the eight games they have shot fewer free throws than their opponents, compared to 19-2 when shooting more.

Loyola is also 4-8 when its opponents have a better field-goal percentage, compared to 18-0 when the Greyhounds shoot at a better clip.

Leading The Charge

Robert Olson and Erik Etherly paced the Greyhounds in their 18 MAAC games as the top two scorers. Etherly again is slightly ahead of Olson, scoring-wise, tallying 239 (13.3 per game) points to Olson’s 225 (12.5).The duo shot 48.6-percent from the field (159-of-327) during league play, and Olson was 42-of-94 (.447) from 3-point range.

Olson’s Last 16

Robert Olson entered the month of January averaging 8.9 points per game through Loyola’s first 11, and he stayed right on that track in the first two games of 2012, scoring a combined 17.

Since then, however, he has averaged 13.2 points per game, starting with a 16-point game on January 7 against Canisius. The game against the Golden Griffins started a stretch of 11-straight in which Olson scored 11 or more points and had 15 or more seven times. During the last 15 games, Olson has shot 75-of-150, 50.0-percent, from the field and 45-of-94 (.478) from behind the 3-point line.

Against Niagara, he hit two threes and moved into sole possession of 10th on the single-season threes list at Loyola.. His 136 career threes are sixth in school history.

Six Under Sixty

For the first time in its NCAA Division I history (since 1981-1982), Loyola held six consecutive opponents to fewer than 60 points.

During the span, all Loyola victories, the Greyhounds have held Siena, Saint Peter’s (twice), Niagara, Canisius and Rider to an average of 53.2 points per game.

The Greyhounds previously had held three teams to sub-60 performances just once since joining Division I, and that came during 1981-1982, their first season at this level.

The last time a Loyola team held six-straight teams under 60, regardless of division, came in January-February 1977 when it held six teams in a row – Southampton, Saint Peter’s, Randolph-Macon, Mount St. Mary’s, Baltimore and Philadelphia Textile – to 59 or fewer. The Greyhounds, however, were just 3-3 in that stretch.

Walker Moves Into Second

Shane Walker blocked two Fairfield shots in the first three minutes of the game, and he then swatted a Maurice Barrow layup with 13:58 on the clock, tying him for second all-time at Loyola in blocked shots. He now has 130 in his career, second all-time.

Running Away

Runs have been a big part of the Greyhounds’ success this year. Here is a look at some runs of note:

Opponent	Run	Start	Finish
at UMBC	16-4, 8:08	35-31, 19:16 (2)	51-34, 11:08 (2)
Marist	15-3, 5:47	61-57, 6:03 (2)	76-60, :16 (2)
at Siena	13-0; 4:27	0-2, 19:28 (1)	13-2; 15:35 (1)
Canisius	18-4, 10:14	57-53, 10:14 (2)	75-57, 2:11 (2)
at Fairfield	36-21, 16:42	30-45, 16:42 (2)	66-63, Final
Siena	22-2, 7:36	40-47, 10:35 (2)	62-49, 2:49 (2)
Saint Peter’s	20-5, 8:13	15-20, 8:55 (1)	35-25, :48 (1)
at Niagara	15-2, 5:42	44-46, 7:48 (2)	59-48, 1:58 (2)
at Canisius	24-2, 12:04	16-22, 8:02 (1)	40-24, 15:58 (2)
Rider	18-0, 8:06	6-5, 16:50 (1)	24-5, 8:55 (2)
Iona	36-17, 12:50	11-10, 13:40 (1)	47-28, 00:50 (1)
Boston U.	16-3, 4:37	34-34, 16:05 (2)	50-37, 11:28 (2)

Century Mark

Head Coach Jimmy Patsos became the third coach in Loyola history to win 100 games when the Greyhounds defeated UMBC, 73-63, on the road. Patsos, who is in his eighth season, took over a team that finished 1-27 during the 2002-2003 season. He won his 100th game in his 215th career game.

Last season, Patsos moved into third-place all time at Loyola in victories, trailing only Lefty Reitz (349 wins, 1937-44, 1945-61) and Nap Doherty (165, 1961-74).

Loyola All-Time Coaching Wins List
1.	349	Lefty Reitz	1937-1944, 1945-1961
2.	165	Nap Doherty	1961-1974
3.	121	Jimmy Patsos	2004-present
4.	85	Mark Amatucci	1982-1989
5.	72	Gary Dicovitsky	1976-1981

Two Of A Kind

Although unofficial, research shows that Jimmy Patsos is one of only two coaches in the last 20 years to take a team that won just one game the year prior to his arrival.

Brigham Young finished the 1996-1997 season with a 1-25 record. Steve Cleveland took over the following season and tallied 138 wins until his departure for Fresno State after the 2004-2005 season.

Baltimore Bred And More From Nearby

Since taking over as head coach in 2004, Jimmy Patsos has put an emphasis on recruiting locally, and it has never shown as much as on this year’s roster. Three players – sophomore guard Dylon Cormier (Cardinal Gibbons), sophomore forward Jordan Latham (City) and freshman guard R.J. Williams (St. Frances) are products of schools within the city limits.

Six more players played in high school within 50 miles of Loyola, as the crow flies (thanks daftlogic.com): Shane Walker & Tyler Hubbard, Montrose Christian, 32.6 miles; Robert Olson, Georgetown Prep, 33.9; Justin Drummond, Riverdale Baptist, 33.9; Anthony Winbush, T.C. Williams, 43.7; and Erik Etherly, Annandale, 47.9.