CHICAGO (July 5, 2018) – Loyola University Chicago senior guard Marques Townes (Edison, N.J./St. Joseph/Fairleigh Dickinson) will compete for the Dominican Republic National Team at the XXIII Central American and Caribbean Games Barranquilla in Colombia, July 29 – August 3. Townes' mother was born and raised in the Dominican Republic.
 
One of the top backcourt players in the Missouri Valley Conference, Townes will begin training camp on July 16. In addition to the Dominican Republic, other qualifying teams for the XXIII Central American and Caribbean Games were Bahamas, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
 
Townes was a major contributor in Loyola's unforgettable 2017-18 season. The 6-foot-4 guard, who scored his 1,000^thcareer point in an NCAA Elite Eight victory over Kansas State, averaged 11.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per outing in his first season of eligibility with the Ramblers after transferring from Fairleigh Dickinson University. 
 
"I've never had a chance to compete for a medal before so that is really exciting," Townes said. "It's a great honor for me and my family because we take a tremendous amount of pride in our heritage. I'm hoping to learn a lot of things from this experience and bring them back to my teammates here on campus."
 
A member of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship All-Tournament Team, Townes shot 51.4 percent (160-for-311) from the field and 38.7 percent (29-for-75) from beyond the arc a year ago. He drained one of the biggest shots of the NCAA tournament when he nailed a three-pointer with six seconds left to seal the outcome in a 69-68 victory over 24^th-ranked Nevada in the Sweet 16.