The Valley on ESPN (subscription required) vs. Evansville | Live Stats vs. Evansville | Loyola Game Notes vs. Evansville

The Valley on ESPN vs. Indiana State | Live Stats vs. Indiana State | Loyola Game Notes vs. Indiana State

CHICAGO (January 16, 2019) - Loyola University Chicago opens up a stretch that sees it play six of its next eight games within the friendly confines of Gentile Arena this coming weekend when it continues Missouri Valley Conference play against a pair of opponents from the state of Indiana.

Evansville will make its way to Rogers Park for a 3 p.m. Friday matinee ahead of a Sunday afternoon tilt with Indiana State at 1 p.m.  Prior to the weekend finale against the Sycamores, the Ramblers will host a special pregame athletics clinic (participants must be in eighth grade or younger) in celebration of National Girls & Women in Sports Day.  Sunday's matchup will also serve as Loyola's "We Back Pat" game in support of Alzheimer's awareness.
 

LAST TIME OUT
Loyola dropped a 64-52 decision to UNI this past Sunday at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  Ellie Rice led the Maroon & Gold with 12 points in the defeat, while Tiara Wallace also reached double figures in scoring, chipping in 11 points of her own.  Allison Day, making her third start in as many games, ripped down a season-high tying nine rebounds to go along with a season-best three assists and four points.
 

LOYOLA – EVANSVILLE – THE SERIES
Former rivals in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (MCC), Loyola and Evansville will are set to clash for the 35th time on Friday afternoon in Rogers Park.  The Ramblers hold a healthy 22-12 edge in the previous meetings but the two teams have split their 10 matchups as MVC rivals since Loyola's move to The Valley in 2013-14.  Loyola cruised to an 82-63 win over Evansville at Gentile Arena back on January 28, 2018. The Ramblers used a 24-4 second-quarter surge to create separation and never looked back en route to victory.  Jessica Cerda scored a game-high 16 points to pace a quintet in double figures that also included Katie Salmon (15 points), Abby O'Connor (12 points), Rice (12 points) and Alexis Meyer (10 points).


LOYOLA – INDIANA STATE – THE SERIES
Sunday's matchup will serve as the 17th meeting between Loyola and Indiana State, a series in which the Sycamores boast a 12-4 lead in.  Indiana State has dominated the series since the two institutions became Valley rivals, going 9-2 against the Ramblers over the past five seasons.  When Loyola and Indiana State met last season in Chicago, the Sycamores charged out to an 18-point lead after three quarters, only to see the Maroon & Gold battle back to within seven before time ran out, ultimately prevailing by a final margin of 73-65.  O'Connor led the Ramblers with 17 points, while Salmon (16 points), Rice (13 points) and Cerda (10 points) als reached double figures. 
 

PLAYING CARDS
Evansville is mired in a five-game slide that has seen the Purple Aces slip to 2-13 (0-4 MVC).

Head coach Matt Ruffing's side is coming off home setbacks to both Bradley, 75-68, and Illinois State, 72-61, last weekend at the Meeks Family Fieldhouse. Kerri Gasper paced the Evansville attack, scoring 17 points in both games.

Gasper averages team-best marks in both points (12.0 ppg) and rebounds (7.1 rpg) for a Purple Aces team that ranks at the bottom of The Valley in both scoring offense (56.7 ppg) and scoring defense (70.5 ppg). Marley Miller has proven to be a threat from distance, knocking down a team-high 31 three-point field goals, while the pairing of Makayla Wallace (2.2 steals per game) and Kaylan Coffman (1.5 blocks per game) have provided a spark on the defensive end.
 

CAN'T SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES
Indiana State, which visits Valparaiso on Friday evening before making its way to Rogers Park, finds itself a game over the .500 mark on the year, sitting at 8-7 overall.  The Sycamores have split their first four Valley games, having most recently suffered a 61-45 loss to Bradley last Sunday at the Hulman Center.

There is a new face at the head of the Sycamore bench this season.  Former Toledo associate head coach Vicki Hall was named the eighth head coach in program history at Indiana State back on March 21, 2018.  A former member of the United States National Team, Hall, an Indiana native, was a three-time All-Southwest Conference honoree during her playing career at Texas. 

2017-18 All-Missouri Valley Conference selection Ashli O'Neal finds herself in the midst of another strong campaign in Terre Haute.  O'Neal leads the Sycamores in scoring at 14.5 ppg, a mark that ranks ninth in The Valley, and leads the conference in steals (2.7 spg).  Wichita State transfer Tamara Lee has made an instant impact, adding 10.4 ppg across 15 games.

UP NEXT
Loyola is back on the road next weekend, with matchups against Missouri State (January 25) and Southern Illinois (January 27) on the docket.