CHICAGO (December 6, 2019) – Entering the weekend as one of the nation's 16 remaining unbeaten teams, Loyola looks to push its perfect start to the season to 8-0 on Sunday afternoon as it visits Edwardsville, Ill. for a matchup with host SIUE.  Tip-off from First Community Arena is set for 2 p.m.

Sunday's clash with the Cougars also serves as the Ramblers' non-conference road finale. A December 16 matinee with Bowling Green opens up a season-long five-game homestand that keeps the Maroon & Gold in Rogers Park through January 5.  Loyola has picked up five of its seven wins this season away from the friendly confines of Gentile Arena, sharing the national lead in the category with UConn.

LAST TIME OUT
Loyola held Dartmouth to just 28 percent (17-of-61) shooting as it cruised to a 61-40 victory over the Big Green this past Wednesday at Gentile Arena.  For the second time in as many games, four Ramblers scored in double figures, led by Abby O'Connor, who posted her second double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds) of the season. Tiara Wallace, Ellie Rice, and Allison Day each chipped in 12 points apiece.

LOYOLA – SIUE – THE SERIES
Loyola will meet its in-state rival to the south for the seventh time on Sunday afternoon.  The Ramblers have been victorious in each of the previous six meetings, but will be making only their second visit to Edwardsville in program history, with the last coming in a 56-42 win during the 2008-09 season.  When the two teams faced off last season at Gentile Arena, offense proved to be tough to come by, with both teams shooting under 35 percent, as Loyola gutted out a 56-43 win on December 6, 2018. O'Connor led the Ramblers in the win with 14 points, while Wallace (13 points) and Janae Gonzales (10 points) also scored in double figures.  
 
SET TO CHARGE
SIUE is coming off a 57-53 home victory on Wednesday over Purdue Fort Wayne that snapped a three-game skid and improved its record to 2-5 (.286). The Cougars are 2-3 (.400) when playing on their home floor this season.  Now in her eighth year in charge in Edwardsville, head coach Paul Buscher's team was pegged ninth in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Preseason Poll after going 13-16 (8-10 OVC) in 2018-19.  Allie Troeckler currently paces the SIUE attack on the offensive end, averaging team-high marks in both scoring (9.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.0 rpg) for a Cougar team that scores just under 59 points per game.  Troeckler has also made her mark on the defensive end through the season's first seven games, averaging a block per game.  The Cougars enter the weekend currently ranked 54th nationally in steals per game, coming away with 10.4 thefts per contest.

UP NEXT
Following a break for final exams, Loyola opens up a season-long five-game homestand on Monday, December 16 at 11 a.m. when it welcomes Bowling Green to Gentile Arena for "Field Trip Day with the Ramblers", with over 3,000 children from local schools expected to be in attendance.