BALTIMORE (Interstat) — A dominant first half built on efficient offense and stifling defense propelled the Lafayette Leopards to a 79-64 victory over the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds in a Patriot League men’s basketball game Saturday at Reitz Arena.

The most important part of the game was the opening 20 minutes, where Lafayette established a commanding lead that Loyola Maryland never seriously threatened. The Leopards raced out to a 20-point lead less than eight minutes into the contest and entered halftime with a 45-25 advantage. That early surge, fueled by precise execution at both ends of the floor, rendered Loyola Maryland’s more competitive second-half performance largely inconsequential to the outcome.

Lafayette’s offense operated with notable efficiency, scoring 79 points on just 65 possessions for an offensive rating of 121.3. They shot 53.4% from the field, connecting on 31 of 58 attempts, and outscored the Greyhounds 42-30 in the paint. The Leopards were led by a potent inside-outside combination. Shareef Jackson, a 6-foot-8 forward from Philadelphia, scored 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field, adding two blocks in just 23 minutes of action. Guard Caleb Williams, from Jacksonville, Florida, matched Jackson’s 20 points, hitting three 3-pointers, and dished out four assists.

Andrew Phillips of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, added 19 points for Lafayette, while Mark Butler orchestrated the offense with a game-high seven assists to go with eight points. The Leopards assisted on 10 of their 31 made field goals and committed only eight turnovers.

Loyola Maryland struggled to find any offensive rhythm in the face of Lafayette’s early intensity. The Greyhounds shot just 39.3% for the game, making 24 of 61 attempts, and were a frigid 8 of 28 from 3-point range. Their offensive rating of 96.6 reflected a night of difficult shots and missed opportunities.

Braeden Speed of Phoenix led Loyola Maryland with 18 points, four assists and two blocks. Sam Springer from Cleveland scored 11 points, all in the second half, and Jacob Theodosiou of Waterloo, Canada, added 13 points. Emmett Adair from Sydney, Australia, contributed 10 points and two assists for the Greyhounds.

The second half saw Loyola Maryland play with more urgency, outscoring Lafayette 39-34, but the deficit never shrunk below 13 points. The Greyhounds managed to force eight second-half turnovers and scored 10 fast-break points to Lafayette’s six, but could not string together enough stops to mount a legitimate comeback.

With the win, Lafayette improves to 4-10 overall and evens its early Patriot League record. Loyola Maryland falls to 4-11. An announced crowd of 524 attended the game at Reitz Arena.

Lafayette next hosts Boston University on Wednesday. Loyola Maryland travels to face Army on the same night.