CHICAGO (January 15, 2020) – Winners of its last three games, Loyola University Chicago (12-3, 3-1 MVC) returns to the friendly confines of Gentile Arena this weekend to host a pair of in-state rivals from Central Illinois.  The Ramblers will take on Bradley at 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon, while Illinois State will make its way to Rogers Park for a 1 p.m. tip-off on Sunday.  Sunday's matchup with the Redbirds will also serve as a celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, with discounted tickets available using the code GIRLS2020.

Loyola is currently off to its best start to a Missouri Valley Conference campaign since beginning its league slate 4-0 during the 2015-16 season.  Abby O'Connor enters the weekend with a chance to further etch her name into the Maroon & Gold's record books.  The junior guard/forward needs just seven points to become the 25th member of Loyola's 1,000-point club. 


LAST TIME OUT
Loyola picked up a pair of wins in Indiana last weekend, defeating Evansville, 71-61, and Indiana State, 58-51, respectively.  O'Connor (21 points, 12 rebounds) and Allison Day (16 points, 10 rebounds) each posted double-doubles in the win over the Purple Aces, while Janae Gonzales paced the Maroon & Gold against the Sycamores, knocking down four attempts from beyond the three-point arc to finish with a team-high 12 points.  With the two victories, Loyola became the first team in all of Division I to reach 8-0 on the road.

LOYOLA – BRADLEY – THE SERIES
Friday's matinee will be the 42nd meeting between Loyola and Bradley, a series which the Braves lead, 25-16 (.610).  Bradley has dominated the series of late, winning six of the last seven encounters, including three straight at Gentile Arena.  Loyola dropped a pair of double-digit decisions to its rival to the south last season, coming up on the short end of a 69-56 setback in Rogers Park on February 3 before falling in Peoria, Ill., 71-59, on March 2.  In both games, Loyola found itself within striking distance in the fourth quarter, only to see Bradley mount a late surge to put both games out of reach.  When the two teams met at Gentile Arena, Day (19 points, 11 rebounds) and O'Connor (17 points, 11 rebounds) each posted double-double efforts to lead the Maroon & Gold.


LOYOLA – ILLINOIS STATE – THE SERIES
Loyola and Illinois State will matchup for the 18th time on Sunday.  Despite holding an 11-6 (.647) advantage in the all-time series, the Redbirds have struggled of late when visiting Rogers Park, dropping five straight decisions to the Maroon & Gold at Gentile Arena, the last three of which have come down to the final possession.  In last season's meeting in The Windy City on February 1, Loyola overcame a seven-point first-half deficit and opened up a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter before holding off a furious Illinois State rally in a 62-59 triumph.  Four Ramblers reached double figures in scoring in the win, led by an 18-point effort from Ellie Rice.


BRAVEHEARTED
Bradley, which resides at 12-2 (.857) overall, enters the weekend as one of the MVC's two remaining unbeatens, holding a 3-0 mark in league play.  The Braves will be playing in only their fourth true road game on Friday afternoon.  Fourth-year head coach Andrea Gorski, a 1992 graduate of Bradley, led the Braves to their first 20-win season in a decade in 2018-19, as Bradley finished 20-10 overall (10-8 MVC).  Reigning MVC Freshman of the Year Lasha Petree has picked up right where she left off in 2018-19, averaging a team and Valley-best 19.0 points across 14 appearances.  Petree struggled in last season's matchup in Rogers Park, going just 2-of-12 from the field as part of a four-point, two-rebound effort.  Gabi Haack, a First Team All-MVC selection a year ago, is in the midst of another strong campaign, adding 13.4 ppg, while Chelsea Brackmann, who posted a 24-point, 20-rebound double-double when the two teams met last season in Chicago, leads the Braves in rebounding, pulling in 8.8 caroms per game.


BIRDWATCHING
Illinois State finds itself just a half-game back of Loyola in The Valley standings as league play enters its third week, sitting at 2-1 in MVC action and 10-4 (.714) overall.  Now in her third year in charge in Normal, Ill., head coach Kristen Gillespie guided the Redbirds to a 19-12 finish (11-7 MVC) last season, the program's highest win total since 2012-13.  Leading a group of nine returning letterwinners is Tete Maggett, who was named the MVC Newcomer of the Year in 2018-19.  Maggett, who leads the team in assists (4.5 apg) currently ranks second on the team in scoring (16.2 ppg), coming in behind only Lexi Wallen, who averages team-high marks in both scoring (16.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg).  Wallen has been even better in Illinois State's three MVC games, upping her scoring mark to 17.0 ppg.


UP NEXT
Loyola sees its lone action of next week on Friday, January 24 when it makes the short trip to Valparaiso, Ind. to battle the host Crusaders in a 6 p.m. tip-off at the Athletics-Recreation Center.