Game Notes | Live Video | Live Stats

CHICAGO (January 21, 2019) - Surging Loyola, which has won five of its last six games, including each of the last three, wraps up a two-game road trip Wednesday night when it travels to Missouri State for a midweek showdown on CBS Sports Network. The Ramblers, who bring a 5-1 Missouri Valley Conference record into the contest, are off to their best start in league play since opening 6-0 in Horizon League action in 2001-02.

Loyola, which is coming off a 75-67 victory at Indiana State over the weekend, has emerged victorious in five of its last six and nine of its last 11 MVC road games. Overall, the Ramblers are an impressive 19-2 (.905) in their last 21 Valley games and have won 20 of their last 24 (.833) contests in league play.

Through games of January 19, Loyola ranked 10th in the nation in scoring defense (61.0 ppg), one season after ranking sixth (62.6 ppg). Over the last 10 outings, the Ramblers are yielding only 56.6 ppg and are holding opponents to a meager 31.7 percent (64-for-202) accuracy rate from three-point territory.

Loyola – Missouri State – The Series

This will be the 12th meeting between Loyola and Missouri State in a series that traces its roots to 1964. The Ramblers have won five of the last eight matchups between the teams and split the regular-season series a year ago, with the home team capturing each contest. 

In the last meeting between the clubs, February 3, 2018 in Chicago, Loyola shot 60.9 percent from the field and knocked down 10 treys as six players scored in double digits, led by Clayton Custer (23 points), to send the Ramblers to a 97-75 victory.

Since joining The Valley in 2013-14, Loyola is 6-4 against Missouri State, but is 2-3 against the Bears in Springfield. Six of the 11 previous meetings between the teams have been decided by six points or less.

When the teams last met at JQH Arena, in the MVC opener last season, Loyola played without injured starters Clayton Custer and Ben Richardson but got 18 points from Cameron Krutwig in a 64-59 setback. Three of the last four meetings between the teams in Springfield have been determined by five points or less.

Scouting Missouri State

Missouri State has dropped four of its last six contests and is 0-2 at home in Missouri Valley Conference action, with losses to Valparaiso and Evansville. The Bears are coming off a 74-63 defeat at Drake Sunday.

Junior forward Tulio Da Silva leads the Bears in both scoring (15.7 ppg) and rebounding (7.4 rpg), while senior guard Jarred Dixon contributes 14.2 ppg.

Head coach Dana Ford, who is in his first year as the bench boss at Missouri State, played for Porter Moser at Illinois State from 2003-06.

Up Next

Loyola is back at home Sunday (Jan. 27) when it battles Southern Illinois at 3 p.m.