To wrap up the first-ever Mahoney Classic on Sunday afternoon, the Stags walked away victorious against Loyola University Maryland and became the sole 2-0 team of the multi-team event. With this win, the Stags move to 3-2 overall and push Loyola to 2-3.
Led by graduate transfer guard Deuce Turner, the Stags managed to ward off offensive lulls and keep the Greyhounds chasing throughout the duration of the contest.
Head Coach Chris Casey praised his team for their ability to keep things within a single play, “We played from up front, we made them catch us at the end,” he said during the game’s official press conference.
Turner, who just had a 22-point game on Friday’s matchup against Stonehill, put up 30 points with a 12-17 performance from the field and went 4-8 from behind the arc.
The starters dominated the afternoon, scoring 79 of the team’s season-high 85 points. Sophomore guard Eric Mejia and senior guard Braden Sparks contributed 14 points apiece; first-year guard/forward Declan Wucherpfennig added eight.
Play from both sides of the ball set the Stags apart, who shot 49.3% from the floor. Good boards translated into positive offense, as 14 offensive rebounds turned into 20 points. First-year forward Brandon Benjamin led the pack with eight boards of his own.
“Defense brings offense to the game,” said sophomore guard Eric Mejia, who contributed 14 points and five rebounds.
The intensity of today’s outing trickled off the court and onto the sidelines as the game progressed. A few contentious fouls compelled Loyola head coach Josh Loeffler out to the three-point line as he barked out commands to his team. Despite his best efforts, the Greyhounds made 13 errors in total.
The Stags, who kept the lead for all but 22 seconds of gametime, went toe-to-toe with the Greyhounds in terms of physicality. Junior guard Jacob Theodosiou led Loyola with 27 points, six assists and five rebounds. Both he and Sparks pulled off three steals each.
With just two minutes left in the second half, Loyola managed to make it a one-point difference at 79-78 with a layup from sophomore guard Braeden Speed that got the best of Benjamin. Turner then added one at the foul line after missing the first throw to make it 80-78. Sparks added two with a step-back shot, to which the Greyhounds answered with two of their own.
With 20 seconds remaining, Sparks found himself at the foul line and made both shots to increase the Stags’ lead to four points. Loyola showed signs of life as the clock ran down to nine seconds, but a missed three-pointer killed any hopes for a possible comeback for the few spectators wearing green behind the visiting bench. The Stags capped off scoring with a free throw from Wucherpfenning, and the Greyhounds made a last-second layup to end things off 85-82.
The men’s basketball team will now travel to Le Moyne College to face the Dolphins on Saturday at 1 pm. They will be back in action at the Mahoney Arena on Wednesday, Nov 26, at 7 p.m. against Columbia.
