EASTON, Pa. - Men's basketball split the 2024-25 series with Loyola Maryland after a 71-58 loss on Wednesday evening inside Kirby Sports Center.

Four Leopards finished in double figures led by Mark Butler's 12 points and two assists. Caleb Williams, Andrew Phillips and Alex Chaikin all earned 11 points. Misha Bednostin grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds in his first start since Nov. 29.

Lafayette claimed the initial advantage, 16-12, in the opening 10 minutes using seven points from Phillips.

The Greyhounds outscored the hosts thereafter to take control of the lead, 22-12. Tyson Commander's seven points led six Greyhounds on the board as the team held the Leopards to just two 3-pointers.

Phillips knocked down a floating jump shot with 13 seconds left on the clock as the Maroon and White trailed 34-28 going into the locker room at halftime.

Butler secured six points in Lafayette's 13-12 edge to open the second half by the 13-minute mark, getting within five points, 46-41. Williams then exploded on offense for seven points in six minutes, keeping the deficit at four, 54-50 at 6:28.

Loyola used a 17-8 run to close the contest in the remaining five minutes, shooting 6-of-11 from the floor and connecting on both long-range shots.

Both programs limited opposing free throw attempts to fewer than 13 with Loyola netting 8-of-13 and Lafayette recording 7-of-9. The Leopards and Greyhounds matched percentages from the floor (43) as Loyola took an edge beyond the arc overall (33 to 29 percent).

Milos Ilic led the opponents with 17 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. Loyola out-rebounded Lafayette 37-34, including a 14-8 margin on the offensive glass. 

Key contributors Justin Vander Baan and Luka Savicevic were unavailable against the Greyhounds.

Next up, the Leopards host Navy on Saturday at 1 p.m. for the Athlete Ally game.
 

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