CHICAGO (December 19, 2019) – Coming off a thrilling win earlier in the week, Loyola University Chicago will again put its perfect record on the line on Friday evening as No. 16/16 DePaul invades Gentile Arena for a 7 p.m. tip-off.

Seeking to match their longest win streak since the 1988-89 season and pick up the program's third win over a nationally ranked opponent, Loyola enters Friday's showdown with the Blue Demons as one of only 11 unbeaten teams remaining in all of Division I.


LAST TIME OUT
Loyola battled back from an early 13-point deficit to defeat Bowling Green, 84-76, before a program-record 3,703 fans this past Monday in Rogers Park.  Allison Day continued her great play of late, scoring a career-high 20 points to pace a quartet of Ramblers to in double figures that also included Abby O'Connor (19 points), Ellie Rice (11 points), and Janae Gonzales (10 points). Tiara Wallace and Sam Galanopoulos each handed out five assists.

 

LOYOLA – DePAUL – THE SERIES
Separated by just five miles on the city's north side, Loyola and DePaul will battle for the 47th time on Friday evening in Rogers Park.  The Blue Demons have had the upper hand in the series of late, winning 24 of the previous 25 meetings to open up a 36-10 (.783) advantage.  Loyola's lone victory in that stretch came during the 2015-16 season, when the Ramblers pulled off an 88-75 upset of then No. 16/15 DePaul at McGrath-Phillips Arena.  Loyola dropped last season's meeting to the Blue Demons by a final count of 102-76 on December 20, 2018.  O'Connor turned in one of the top showings of her career in the defeat, scoring a career-high 31 points, while Rice finished just two points shy of matching her career-best scoring output, chipping in 18 points. 


EXORCISING DEMONS
DePaul enters this evening's clash with the Ramblers at 9-2 on the year following an 84-74 setback to No. 2/2 Connecticut on Monday night at Wintrust Arena.  Chante Stonewall scored 21 points to lead the Blue Demons, who shaved a 26-point halftime deficit down to four in the fourth quarter before ultimately falling.  Veteran head coach Doug Bruno's team currently sits at No. 16 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll.  The Blue Demons boast the nation's most vaunted offensive attack, averaging 88.9 points, a mark that leads all of Division I.  Stonewall, a 2018-19 Second Team All-BIG EAST honoree, leads the team in scoring, contributing 17.5 points per game to go along with a team-best 3.3 steals per contest.  The sophomore tandem of Sonya Morris and Lexi Held have both raised their respective games in the second season under Bruno's guidance, adding 16.9 ppg and 13.1 ppg, respectively. 


UP NEXT
Loyola wraps up non-conference play on Monday, December 30 as Western Michigan visits Gentile Arena for a 7 p.m. tip-off.