EASTON, Pa. - Freshman Shareef Jackson and sophomore Caleb Williams each posted 20 points to help lift Lafayette over Loyola Maryland, 79-64, on Saturday evening in Reitz Arena.

In total, Jackson went 9-for-10 on the floor as Williams secured four 3-pointers. Christian Humphrey-Rembert grabbed eight rebounds while Mark Butler dished seven assists; both statistics were credited as a game high.

The Leopards burst out offensively in the first half, taking a 9-0 lead using six points in the paint by the 17-minute mark. Jackson had five points in the early run.

Williams netted back-to-back 3-pointers at 13:27 and 13:03 for a 19-4 hold.

Lafayette continued its successful endeavors at the rim, shooting 7-of-13 from the floor to 10:40, furthering the advantage to 25-6 in a 16-6 stretch.

The Greyhounds retaliated with a 15-10 margin in the following five minutes; the squad tallied 3-of-4 from beyond the arc to trail the Leopards by 14, 35-21.

Senior captain Ryan Pettit hit a corner 3-pointer at 4:11 to help Lafayette pull away once more, 40-21.

Jackson closed out the first half with his seventh field goal of the game to keep the Maroon and White on top 45-25 at the break.

A short spurt to open the second half signaled the Leopards' largest lead of the game (23), 51-28, by 17:53.

Loyola's Sam Springer secured a trio of 3-pointers to fuel the hosts 17-8 run in the next 4:46, bringing the gap to 59-45 at 12:31.

A front-court steal and subsequent layup by Pettit (11:35) stopped the Loyola momentum and the Leopards to regain focus, 64-48.

Butler, Williams and Phillips were each entrusted with two tries at the charity stripe, sinking all six for a 77-59 advantage by the two-minute mark. 

Williams added a floating jumpshot to stay out of reach in the 79-64 final.

Loyola featured four players in double figures, paced by Braeden Speed's 18 points, four assists and two blocks. On the evening, the Greyhounds were held to just 39 percent and 28 percent from the floor and beyond the arc, respectively.

Next up, Lafayette hosts Boston U. at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.


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