The Valley on ESPN (subscription required) vs. Valparaiso | Live Stats vs. Valparaiso | Loyola Game Notes | Valparaiso Game Notes
CHICAGO (March 7, 2019) - With the postseason fast approaching, Loyola University Chicago will wrap up the 2018-19 regular season on Saturday afternoon when it takes on Valparaiso. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. from inside the Athletics-Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Ind.
The Ramblers enter the final weekend of the season with plenty to play for ahead of the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. A victory over the Crusaders will guarantee Loyola no worse than a seventh-place finish in the final league standings. A Rambler win, coupled with Southern Illinois losses at both Indiana State and Evansville, would see the Maroon & Gold jump to sixth and clinch an opening-round bye for the first time since 2015-16.
LAST TIME OUT
Loyola dropped a pair of road contests last week, coming up on the short end of decisions at both Illinois State, 65-52, and Bradley, 71-59. In last Thursday's meeting with the Redbirds, Loyola chipped a 20-point deficit down to just seven in the fourth quarter, before seeing time run out on its comeback hopes. The Ramblers again found themselves in a double-digit hole two days later against the Braves, erasing a 10-point lead before falling victim to a game-ending 15-5 surge that propelled the hosts to victory.
LOYOLA – VALPARAISO – THE SERIES
Loyola and Valparaiso will meet for the 28th time in Saturday afternoon's regular season finale. The Crusaders own a 21-6 (.778) lead in 27 previous encounters with the Maroon & Gold, 12 of which came when the two institutions were members of the Horizon League. Loyola snapped a brief three-game skid to its neighbor to the east, throttling Valparaiso by a final count of 80-54 back on January 6 at Gentile Arena.
Abby O'Connor finished just shy of a double-double, scoring 21 points and grabbing nine rebounds in addition to three blocked shots, pacing a trio of Ramblers in double figures.
Janae Gonzales came off the bench to chip in 17 points, while
Ellie Rice added 11 points.
THE CRUSADE CONTINUES
Valparaiso will be in search of its first victory since February 1 in Saturday's meeting with Loyola. The Crusaders have dropped nine straight to slip to 6-23 overall and 2-15 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Like Loyola, Valparaiso, led by first-year head coach Mary Evans, suffered a pair of setbacks in Central Illinois last week, falling to Bradley, 87-76, and Illinois State, 74-53.
Addison Stoller averages team-best marks in both points (12.3 ppg) and rebounds (6.3 rpg). Meredith Hamlet is hot on Stoller's heels, chipping in 12.2 ppg. Hamlet has also knocked down a team-high 52 three-point field goals for a Crusaders' side that has unleashed a Valley-high 755 attempts from distance. The Ramblers will look to take advantage of a Valparaiso defense that has been suspect at times this year, ranking at the bottom of The Valley in both scoring defense (72.8 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.461).
UP NEXT
Following Saturday's clash with Valparaiso, Loyola will turn its attention to the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, March 14-17, in Moline, Ill. The Ramblers will open play at the TaxSlayer Center on either Thursday, March 14 or Friday, March 15.
