The quest for a first-round bye in the Patriot League tournament became a little tougher for Navy, and a bit more attainable for Loyola, as the Greyhounds held off the visiting Mids on Thursday afternoon, 79-70, at Reitz Arena.
A win would have moved Navy (9-17, 6-9 PL) into a tie for fourth in the league – the top six teams get a first-round bye. Instead, the Mids fell into a tie for seventh place with the Greyhounds (10-18, 6-9). Army, Lafayette and American stand at 7-11, tied for fourth place.
“Looking in their eyes in the locker room before the game I could see they were fired up to play,”Loyola head coach Tavaras Hardy said.