Loyola Earns Spot in Men's Semifinals
Associated Press
Springfield, Mass. - Dylon Cormier scored 15 of his 23 points in the second half and Loyola (Md.) defeated Niagara 86-73 in the quarterfinals of the 2012 MAAC Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday night.
The Greyhounds (22-8) outscored Niagara 44-22 in the paint, including 22-8 in the second half.
Loyola shot 69.2 percent from the field (18 of 26) and outscored the Purple Eagles 49-36 in the second half.
Tied at 37 at halftime, Loyola opened the final 20 minutes on a 19-14 run to take the lead for good. Justin Drummond's dunk put the Greyhounds on top 48-41 with 16:38 to play.
Erik Etherly added 21 points and Shane Walker had 13 points and 12 rebounds for second-seeded Loyola, which plays in the semifinals Sunday.
Juan'ya Green led seventh-seeded Niagara (14-19) with 22 points. Malcolm Lemmons and Antoine Mason added 11 points apiece for the Purple Eagles.
Loyola will the face the winner of tonight's Manhattan/Siena game in the semifinals on Sunday, March 4 at approximately 4:30 p.m., live on ESPN3.