OPENING TIP
* Lafayette makes its first trip out of the central division this weekend to battle Loyola for a two-game set. This will be opening weekend for the Greyhounds, who had all four of their previously scheduled games postponed due to COVID concerns.
* Senior co-captain E.J. Stephens was named the Patriot League Player of the Week on Tuesday afternoon after a stellar performance in the weekend sweep of Bucknell. Stephens averaged 24.5 points over the two contests, including a career-high 31 in Sunday's win.
* This weekend clashes two Preseason All-League selections in Justin Jaworski and Loyola's Santi Aldama.

2-FOR-2
On Tuesday, senior co-captain E.J. Stephens became the second Leopard in as many weeks to be named the Patriot League Player of the Week, the first honor of his career. Stephens led five double-figure scorers at Bucknell on Saturday with 18 points on 7-fo-14 from the floor with four steals. The following night, he poured in a career-high 31 points on 9-of-14 from the field and 10-of-10 from the foul line in the Leopards' 87-76 victory to complete the weekend sweep. 

Stephens, who averaged 16.1 points per night in the seven games without Justin Jaworski at the end of last season, has picked up right where he left off, not only on the offensive end, but defensively as well. Stephens is fourth in the Patriot League in steals this season, snatching 2.0 per night. 

LAST YEAR'S MEETINGS
Lafayette and Loyola each won on the other's home floor a season ago to tie up the all-time series record at 9-9. 

On Jan. 11, 2020, the Leopards fought through a cold shooting performance to grind out a 65-62 victory. Lukas Jarrett swatted Isaiah Hart's effort at a winner and Justin Jaworski finished a transition layup through a foul to put Lafayette up three with less than two seconds left to seal the deal. It was a breakout game for Leo O'Boyle, who picked up the slack from other cold shooters with 5-of-9 from the floor for 14 points and six rebounds.

In the rematch, the comeback fell just short for the Maroon and White, who cut a nine-point deficit with 1:55 remaining to a bucket with 24 seconds on the clock, but Kyle Stout's tying attempt was off the mark. Leo O'Boyle and Neal Quinn combined for 38 of the Leopards' 68 points with 21 and 17, respectively.

THE SKINNY ON THE HOUNDS
A team with plenty of talent and expectations, Loyola hasn't gotten the chance to show any of it off yet this season as all four of its games to start the year have been postponed due to COVID concerns. The Hounds bring back three starters from a team that went 15-17 a year ago and 7-11 in conference play, and were picked to finish third in the Patriot League Preseason Poll.

Santi Aldama, last year's rookie sensation in the league after being named to the All-Rookie Team despite playing in just 10 games, leads the squad this season as a member of the Preseason All-Patriot League Team. A three-time Rookie of the Week last season, he averaged 15.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per night. While Loyola did lose a perennial All-League player in Andrew Kostecka to graduation, it returns three of its top-four scorers from a year ago as Aldama is joined by Cam Spencer (10.0 ppg) and Isaiah Hart (9.3 ppg).

80 STREAK
The Maroon and White have started the season scoring at least 80 points in all of four of their games, the first such streak since a four-game stretch in the 2014-15 season. The Leopards are 3-1 when accomplishing that feat this season and won all seven of their contests in which they scored at least 80 points a year ago.

In program history, Lafayette has scored 80 or more points in at least four straight games 14 previous times, last doing so five times in the 1993-94 campaign. In the 1971-72 campaign, the Maroon and White had stretches of seven and eight games scoring 80 or more, leading to a 17-9 overall record that season.

THIRTY AND THRIVING
The joint performances of seniors Justin Jaworski and E.J. Stephens on Jan. 2 at Lehigh was something Leopard fans haven't seen in at least 30 years. Career-highs of 37 and 30 points, respectively, for the two co-captains made them the only duo in Lafayette history during the Patriot League era to post 30 or more points in the same game, and Stephens has since added a 31-point effort on Jan. 10 to his stat line on the year.

On the Patriot League level, the feat hasn't been accomplished in more than 10 years. On Jan. 9, 2010, Boston U.'s John Holland and Corey Lowe scored 32 and 31 points each in an overtime win over Morehead State. 

BIG FRIENDLY GIANT
Sophomore Neal Quinn has been the do-it-all forward for the Maroon and White through four games this season. The Allendale, N.J. native is putting up 10. 3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, numbers that aren't necessarily surprising in terms of production for a 7-0, 280-pound forward in the Patriot League.

The number that stands out, though, is his 6.3 assists per game, leading the team and the Patriot League in that category. A statistical category typically reserved for pass-first point guards, the Lafayette offense has run through Quinn at the foul line throughout the early parts of the season. If Quinn's production as a passer continues, he will become the first forward in Patriot League history to lead the league in assists as guards have dominated that category for 30 straight seasons. A Lafayette player has also never led the league in the assists per game category, with Nick Lindner '17 the most proficient in program history with 519 career helpers, good enough for 10th on the all-time league list.