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CHICAGO (February 8, 2019) - Loyola, which has won three of its last four and six of its last eight contests opens a stretch of games Sunday at Valparaiso that will see it play four of its next six outings on the road. The Ramblers have won nine straight Sunday games and are 4-1 this season in Missouri Valley Conference encounters played on Saturday or Sunday. Since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, Loyola is 23-6 (.793) in MVC play, emerging victorious in 22 of its last 26 (.846) league matchups. The Ramblers' 23 wins in conference competition in consecutive seasons equals the school-record of 23 victories in 1983-84 and 1984-85 as a member of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.

In its two MVC road wins at Drake and Indiana State, Loyola put up 80.0 points per game and shot 58.3 percent (56-for-96) from the field and 53.8 percent (21-for-39) from three-point territory. However, in its three road losses in league play, those numbers dip to 46.7 ppg, on 37.5 percent (51-for-136) from the field and 19 percent (8-for-42) from deep.

Loyola – Valparaiso – The Series

Sunday's game will be the 53rd meeting between longtime rivals Loyola and Valparaiso in a series that began nearly a century ago, in 1922. The Ramblers hold a 37-15 advantage in the series and have captured four of the last five meetings between the teams, including each of the last three.  

When the teams met in Chicago last month, Loyola led wire-to-wire and shot 63.3 percent (12-for-19) in the second half as six players scored in double digits in a 71-54 victory. Cooper Kaifes, Cameron Krutwig and Aher Uguak tallied 12 points each.

The Ramblers, who are 3-0 against Valpo since joining The Valley, have won three of the last four matchups between the teams at the Athletics-Recreation Center, including each of the last two. Last season, Clayton Custer netted a team-high 18 points in Valparaiso to lead Loyola to a 70-54 decision.

In the last three meetings with Valpo, Loyola is averaging 73.7 ppg and shooting 51.9 percent (81-for-156) from the field and 43.1 percent (19-for-44) from three-point land.

Scouting Valparaiso

Valparaiso put an end to a four-game losing skid with an emphatic 69-53 victory at Illinois State Tuesday night as Javon Freeman scored a season-high 27 points.

The Crusaders have been beset by injuries this season with three of their top four scorers all missing time, including leading scorer Ryan Fazekas (12.7 ppg), who has been sidelined for the last eight contests. Fazekas paces the MVC with 2.8 three-point field goals made per game.

Head coach Matt Lottich's squad is 7-4 at home this season but has dropped its last two games at the ARC, falling to Missouri State in overtime and Drake.

Up Next

After six weeks of Missouri Valley Conference play, Loyola finally gets its first look at Bradley when it travels to Peoria Wednesday (Feb. 13) night for a 7 p.m. tip. That game will be televised live on NBC Sports Chicago.