EASTON, Pa.- The Lafayette men's basketball team continued the Patriot League slate with a 79-64 loss to Loyola Maryland on Wednesday evening in Kirby Sports Center.

Loyola used a balanced scoring effort with four players scoring in double figures led by 22 points from Deon Perry and 21 from Golden Dike. Jordan Stiemke added 18 and Tyson Commander contributed 11. 

Lafayette's top performance came through junior guard Devin Hines, who scored 18 points. The Leopards were held to a season-low six assists, shooting just 37.7 percent and 28.6 percent from the floor and beyond the arc overall, respectively.

Loyola opened the first half with a 15-5 lead by the 12-minute mark, commanded by Deon Perry's eight points.

Eric Sondberg sank the Leopards' lone 3-pointer of the half at 7:45, as they closed the gap to seven points, 19-12.

The Greyhounds kept out of reach for the remainder of the half with a 14-5 run that included two shots from beyond the arc. Lafayette faced a cold shooting night and an uneasy climb out of a 33-17 halftime deficit.

The Maroon and White edged Loyola in an 11-10 stretch at the start of the second half. Hines headed the charge with six points by 15:47, trailing 43-28.

The Leopards continued to chase the Greyhounds over the next six minutes, closing the gap to 11, 52-41, with a 3-pointer by Sondberg.

Hines (2) and Sondberg (1) hit back-to-back shots from beyond the arc at the three-minute mark to get as close as 69-61 at 2:10.

As the game was winding down, the Leopards were forced to foul. Loyola made nine free throws in the final two minutes to put away the game. 

Loyola shot 47.1 percent from the field overall and out-rebounded the hosts 29-20.  

The Leopards head to Washington, D.C. on Saturday for a 4 p.m. tip-off against American.

 
For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on X @LafayetteMBB and Instagram @lafayettembb.