OPENING TIP
* Lafayette plays its fifth and sixth games against Loyola this weekend, hosting the Hounds on Saturday at Kirby Sports Center and traveling to Baltimore on Sunday evening for the rematch.
* Head coach Fran O'Hanlon is on the cusp of yet another milestone, needing one win this weekend to pick up his 350th career victory. O'Hanlon is one of just five Division I head coaches to direct the same program since the start of the 1995-96 season.
* The weekend puts two of the Patriot League's top-three scorers against each other as Justin Jaworski and Santi Aldama are first and third in the league in scoring at 21.5 and 19.9 points per night, respectively.

THIS YEAR'S PREVIOUS MEETINGS
Lafayette has won three of the four meetings against Loyola this season, sweeping on Jan. 16 and 17, and splitting this past weekend with each side winning on its home floor. 

In the Jan. 16 outing, the Leopards led by as many as 16 in the second half, but needed to outlast a surging Loyola comeback down the stretch to win by a bucket in a 77-75 victory. Foul trouble led to easy Loyola buckets over the final two minutes as the Greyhounds cut it to a two-point margin, 74-72, with 15 seconds to play. Lafayette went up three and played the foul game, bleeding the clock and eventually running Loyola out of time for its fourth straight victory.

Senior co-captain Justin Jaworski and sophomore Leo O'Boyle provided the majority of the offense for the Maroon and White, scoring 25 and 19, respectively, with each hitting five triples on 10 attempts. Senior co-captain E.J. Stephens was also effective down the stretch after playing just eight minutes in the first half with foul trouble, finishing at 12 points with five boards, four steals and two assists.

The following day, Jaworski and Leo O'Boyle again carried the Leopards in the rematch, scoring 22 and 19 respectively in a 72-70 victory. Lafayette was in control for the majority of the game, leading by five at the halftime break and for more than 27 minutes in the contest overall. Jaworski and O'Boyle combined to go 9-for-16 from three-point range on the night (56.3%) and the Leopards went 11-for-25 from distance as a unit (44.0%) and 27-for-57 overall from the field (47.4%)

On Feb. 7 in Baltimore, the Leopards controlled things through the end of the first half and early in the second, but cold-shooting spurts throughout proved to be costly as Loyola made the plays down the stretch. A five-point game at the final media timeout, the home side took momentum late in the 75-62 final.

Stephens was a bright spot on multiple occasions, scoring a team-high 18 points on 7-of-18 from the field. Jaworski added 12 points and four boards, while sophomore Neal Quinn chipped in with 12 points and four assists.

On Monday, The Leopards were on the back foot for much of the opening half as Loyola took control, leading by as many as 11 late in the opening stanza. But Jaworski turned it on in the second 20 minutes, scoring 19 of his team-high 28 points in the latter frame to swing momentum Lafayette's way and pull out a hard-fought home victory.

Freshman Kyle Jenkins had the breakout performance of his rookie season, scoring a career-high 20 points on 7-of-11 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range. The freshman ripped down six boards and dished out three assists. Quinn was an impact performer as well, orchestrating the offense to the tune of a game-high seven assists to go along with 16 points, six boards and three blocks. 

THE SKINNY ON THE HOUNDS
Loyola, picked to finish third in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, got a late start due to an early season COVID-19 hit that knocked the Greyhounds out of the first two weekends. Loyola has played just seven games this season and hasn't gotten the chance to find a rhythm, losing all but one contest. The Greyhounds return three starters from a team that went 15-17 a year ago and 7-11 in conference play. 

Santi Aldama, a Patriot League All-Rookie selection a year ago despite playing in just 10 games, and a Preseason All-Patriot League selection, has been as advertised for the opposing side, averaging 19.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per contest to lead the squad in both categories. Jaylin Andrews is the only other Loyola double-figure scorer at 11.6 per night, while Golden Dike adds 9.0 points and 5.4 boards per contest for the Hounds. 

IN COACH O WE TRUST
Lafayette head coach Fran O'Hanlon is in his 26th year on the sidelines for the Maroon and White. O'Hanlon is the longest-tenured coach in the Patriot League, has won four conference titles and owns three NCAA Tournament appearances, including both feats most recently in 2014-15. The native of Philadelphia holds the overall Patriot League record for games coached with 759 and currently sits at 349 career victories.

O'Hanlon is one of only five head coaches to direct the same Division I program since the start of the 1995-96 season. O'Hanlon is joined on the list by Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Bob McKillop (Davidson) and Tom Izzo (Michigan State).

JENKINS TIME
Freshman Kyle Jenkins got his first two career starts this past weekend for the Maroon and White and made the most of the nod. Following a seven-point outing in the loss to Loyola on the road, he poured in a season-high 20 points on 7-of-11 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range in Monday's victory. On Tuesday, he was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week, the third weekly honor for Lafayette in the 2021 campaign.

Jenkins is putting up 8.3 points in more than 24.0 minutes per game this season, the most by wide margin for Leopard freshmen and sits second among freshmen around the Patriot League in scoring.

SIMPLE MATH
In the home win over Loyola on Jan. 16, Lafayette drained 14 threes compared to 12 two-point field goals, the first time finishing a game with more threes than twos since Feb. 10, 2019, a home win over Holy Cross. Justin Jaworski and Leo O'Boyle combined for 10 of the 14 triples on the night, while Kyle Jenkins made a pair, and Tyrone Perry and E.J. Stephens chipped in with one apiece.

TRENDING UP
Lafayette conquered demons in its 2019-20 campaign, going 19-12 to record its first winning season since 2014-15 and 10-8 in Patriot League action, its first 10-win season in conference play since the 2012-13 slate. 

The Leopards will look to back that up with another winning season in 2021. The Maroon and White have not put together back-to-back winning seasons since winning a pair of Patriot League titles in the 1998-99 and 1999-00 campaigns.