CHICAGO (January 7, 2019) – Marques Townes (Edison, N.J./St. Joseph/Fairleigh Dickinson) has been selected as the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week it was announced this afternoon by the league office. The Loyola University Chicago redshirt senior guard helped the Ramblers to their first-ever 2-0 start in Valley play as they opened conference competition last week with wins over Indiana State (79-44) and Drake (85-74).
 
The Preseason Second Team All-MVC pick racked up 20.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game, hitting 60 percent (15-for-25) of his field goal attempts and 50 percent (5-for-10) of his triple tries in a pair of contests last week. 
 
In a 79-44 victory over Indiana State January 2, Loyola's largest margin of victory over a conference foe regardless of league since 1996, the New Jersey native collected 13 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a steal. 
 
Then, playing with a heavy heart following the death of his grandmother one day earlier, Townes blew up for a career-best 28 points, knocking down 11-of-17 shots from the field, and adding five boards and five assists in a come-from-behind 85-74 victory at Drake January 5. The 28 points are the most by a Rambler since Milton Doyle hung 35 points on Bradley, January 7, 2017. 
 
For the season, Townes is going for 13.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.9 apg and 1.0 spg and he has scored nine or more points in 14 of Loyola's 15 games this year.
 
Loyola, which is 9-6 overall and 2-0 in MVC play, is next in action tomorrow night when it travels to Evansville. That game will be televised live on CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m. CT.