Loyola Game Notes vs. Valparaiso | Valparaiso Game Notes | MVC Tournament Central | The Valley on ESPN3 vs. Valparaiso | Live Stats vs. Valparaiso
 

CHICAGO (March 6, 2018) – Ninth-seeded Loyola opens play in the 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Thursday afternoon when it clashes with Valparaiso, the tournament's number eight seed.  The Ramblers and Crusaders are set to tip-off at 4 p.m. in an opening-round contest at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Ill.
 

Series Stuff

• Once Horizon League rivals, Loyola and Valparaiso will meet for the 26th time in Thursday's postseason opener.
• The Crusaders hold a 20-5 edge as part of a series that dates back to an 88-85 victory back on February 22, 1994.
• Valparaiso swept the regular season series between the two teams, picking up a 76-60 win at the Athletics-Recreation Center on January 12 before overcoming a 12-point second-half deficit to escape Gentile Arena with a 63-53 triumph on February 11. Jessica Cerda averaged a team-high 13.5 points over the two games.

 
 
The Opening Crusade

• Valparaiso closed its first regular season as a Valley member with a 12-17 overall record, finishing with an identical 5-13 MVC mark to that of Loyola's.
• The Crusaders struggled down the stretch, dropping five of their last six games, with the lone win coming in a 67-54 triumph at Evansville on February 25.
• Dani Franklin and Meredith Hamlet lead the attack for head coach Tracey Dorow's team. Franklin averages a team-best 15.6 points per game, a mark that ranks third overall in the Valley. Hamlet, who poured in a game-high 19 points in the Crusaders' comeback victory in Rogers Park, sits second on the Valparaiso roster in scoring at 12.0 ppg.

 

Up Next

• With a win on Thursday, Loyola would advance on to a matchup with top-seeded Drake in Friday's first quarterfinal at 12 p.m.