Observations from the Loyola game

• The word afterwards was that the Mount would be without senior sharpshooter Will Holland for 2-4 weeks with a knee injury. They need Holland's prescence on the outside and his grit and determination in the game. But it was nice to see Pierre Brown get the minutes and produce.
• Beating Loyola is always fun. It is even more fun now that it includes beating Jimmy Patsos. Patsos was remarkably well behaved - I'll give him credit. The jacket only came off once, in what was a pretty poorly officiated game.
• It did seem like Loyola was trying to take away the perimiter game from the Mount. And truthfully they did a good job of defending the arc. However, their aggressiveness on the outside was easily beaten and Goode had a field day. He shot 16 free throws because he was constantly on the move, beating the Loyola defenders.
• The Mount needed a second scorer to heat up in the second half - and Cajou did just that. I think it was a fine adjustment by Jean or the Mount's coaching staff. Cajou drove to the basket a lot more in the second half, stayed under control, and finished strong. He also got to the line and made 5-of-6.
• After Goode missed his first free throw - after making his first 13 - I said to my daughter "And I thought he was going to set a school record today." I meant the most in a game without missing. I had no idea that the record was actually 14. He also was finished three off the record for most made in a game with 15. Landy Thompson once made 18.
• Danny Thompson continues to impress me. There is a lot of rust there - and he might not be at his top fitness level. But the big guy finally got into the scoring column yesterday, pulled down five rebounds and played solid defense. His effort was needed with Shawn Atupem in foul trouble all day.
• Nice job by the crowd, particularly the students. They weren't just a large number, they were loud and made a difference. Credit to the Loyola faithful that made the trip - I got some enjoyment when the Mount student section mocked them near the end of the game. Now the crowd must continue to show up in force the rest of the season.
• Niagara will be a huge test on Wednesday night. The Mount has a chance to establish itself as one of the top mid-majors in the stretch that they are in. The next five games - four are against mid-major schools - including the defending conference champ in Robert Morris. The Mount enters the stretch at 2-1, and has a realistic chance to get to 5-3 or possibly 6-2 on the other side. But Niagara has been playing well - and will bring a strong challenge on Wednesday.