BALTIMORE – The Lafayette men's basketball team returned to action after 13 days without a game, falling to Loyola in Baltimore by a 75-62 score on Saturday afternoon.
 
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.
 
The win is the first of the season for the Greyhounds, picked to finish third in the Patriot League Preseason Poll and playing in just their sixth game on Sunday afternoon. For Lafayette, it's a third-straight loss after a 5-1 start as the Leopards drop to 5-4 overall, but still sit comfortably at 3-1 in central division action.
 
Senior co-captain E.J. Stephens was a bright spot on multiple occasions, scoring a team-high 18 points on 7-of-18 from the field. Classmate and co-captain Justin Jaworski added 12 points and four boards, while sophomore Neal Quinn chipped in with 12 points and four assists.
 
Preseason All-Patriot League selection Santi Aldama was excellent for the home side, posting a double-double with 21 points and 10 boards to go along with three assists and two blocks. Alonso Faure was the only other double-figure scorer for a balanced Loyola attack with 13 on 5-of-7 from the floor.
 
Overall, the Leopards continued to struggle offensively with their second straight game of less than 37.0 percent from the field. Lafayette connected on 22-of-60 (36.7%), while Loyola made 26-of-59 (44.1%) and missed just one free throw on the afternoon (16-of-17).
 
Lafayette tried to hang with Loyola early as the Greyhounds hit two of their first three from deep to take a 12-7 lead after five minutes. Stephens' triple from the right corner brought the Leopards within one out of a break, but Loyola answered with a 12-1 run to take the half to its midway point at 26-14 in favor of the home side.
 
Loyola's lead grew as high as 13 before a Kyle Jenkins jumper and Stephens three in transition moved it back to an eight-point game at 30-22 with 6:43 to play. Aldama free throws at the 4:30 mark were the last points in the half for the Greyhounds as Lafayette simply took over the final stretch of the half. Fifteen straight points with threes from Tyrone Perry and Stephens completely swung the game, sending it to the break with the Leopards in front by five, 37-32.
 
Perry's three right out of the intermission set the tone in the second half and the Leopard lead moved to seven, 44-37, after the opening five minutes in the second stanza. The teams traded buckets over the next five minutes before six straight during a cold Lafayette stretch pulled the home side even at 50-50 with nine minutes to play.
 
That Loyola run continued through the next couple minutes as nine more for the Greyhounds put the home side ahead by five at the 7:20 mark, 57-52. Lafayette was able to keep that deficit at five on a Stephens jumper from the left baseline with 4:03 left as the game moved to its final stage at 62-57.
 
Loyola dominated the final stretch of the game, going up 10 with just under two minutes to play and never allowing the Leopards to make it interesting late. The Greyhounds hit their free throws down the stretch to close out the 75-62 final.
 
The two sides clash again on Monday evening, this time in Kirby Sports Center for a 7 p.m. tipoff on the Lafayette Sports Network, ESPN+, NBC Sports Philadelphia+ and SNY.