The Valley on ESPN vs. Illinois State (subscription required) | Live Stats vs. Illinois State | Loyola Game Notes
The Valley on ESPN vs. Bradley | Live Stats vs. Bradley | Loyola Game Notes
CHICAGO (February 26, 2019) - Loyola University Chicago will open a three-game road trip to close the regular season with a pair of matchups in Central Illinois this week.
The Ramblers begin the road swing on Thursday night when they go after a season sweep of Illinois State at 7:30 p.m at Redbird Arena. The Maroon & Gold will then make the short trip up Interstate 74 to Peoria, Ill. for a 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon matchup with Bradley at Renaissance Coliseum.
LAST TIME OUT
Loyola dropped two games at Gentile Arena last week, falling to Southern Illinois, 64-41, and co-Missouri Valley Conference leader Missouri State, 85-58. Abby O'Connor continued her impressive play in the month of February over the two-game homestand, averaging 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.
LOYOLA – ILLINOIS STATE – THE SERIES
Loyola and Illinois State will meet for the 17th time on Thursday evening in a series that dates back to 1978. The Redbirds hold a 10-6 (.625) edge in the 16 previous matchups, having gone 6-1 (.857) against the Maroon & Gold at Redbird Arena. Loyola has had the upper hand in the series of late, winning six of the last eight meetings. Earlier this season, the Ramblers grinded out a 62-59 victory over Illinois State at Gentile Arena on February 1.
Ellie Rice paced Loyola with 18 points, while
Tiara Wallace notched a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds). TeTe Maggett poured in a game-high 24 points as Illinois State nearly erased an 14-point deficit over the final 3:31, only to see Maggett's desperation three at the buzzer go awry.
LOYOLA – BRADLEY – THE SERIES
Saturday's matchup will mark the 41st meeting between Bradley and Loyola, a series in which the Braves own a 24-16 (.600) advantage in. Bradley has notched victories in five of the last six matchups between the two in-state rivals, including a 69-56 triumph in Chicago back on February 3 behind a game-high 24 points and 20 rebounds from Chelsea Brackmann. Loyola's lone victory in the aforementioned stretch came last season at Renaissance Coliseum where, led by 17 points from
Kailyn Strawbridge, the Ramblers picked up a 71-61 win.
BIRDWATCHING
Illinois State enters the weekend playing some of its best basketball of the season, having won five of its last six games to move to 15-10 overall (8-6 MVC).
Second-year head coach Kristen Gillespie's team saw its five-game winning streak brought to an end last Friday, falling on the road at Bradley, 75-65.
Spearheading the attack for the Redbirds is the duo of Simone Goods and TeTe Maggett, who have combined for just over 53% of the team's offensive production this season. Goods, the reigning MVC Newcomer of the Year, leads Illinois State in both scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg). Maggett, a transfer from Vincennes Junior College, resides directly behind Goods in both categories (16.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg). Goods and Maggett rank third and fourth, respectively, in The Valley in scoring.
BRAVEHEARTED
Currently in the midst of one of its best seasons in program history, Bradley, which hosts Valparaiso on Thursday evening, sits at 18-7 overall (8-6 MVC).
The Braves snapped a brief two-game skid in their aforementioned win over Illinois State last Friday, moving to fourth in The Valley standings.
Gabi Haack, Lasha Petree and Chelsea Brackmann lead a high-powered Bradley offense for third-year head coach Andrea Gorski. Haack averages a team-high 15.4 points, ranking fifth in the MVC in scoring, and averages a league-best 2.5 three-point field goals per game. Petree has proven to be one of The Valley's top freshmen, chipping in 13.2 points while also recording team-best marks in steals (41; 1.6 spg) and blocked shots (26, 1.0 bpg). Brackmann pulls down a conference-leading 11.0 rpg in addition to 12.8 ppg, having racked up 13 double-doubles in 25 appearances this season.
UP NEXT
Loyola wraps up the regular season next Saturday, March 8 when it takes on Valparaiso at 1 p.m. at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
