CHICAGO (January 15, 2020) – Loyola University Chicago (13-5, 4-3 MVC) will wrap up the first half of its Missouri Valley Conference schedule this coming weekend when it travels to Iowa for a pair of games.

The Ramblers will battle UNI on Friday at 6:30 p.m. inside the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa before heading west to Des Moines, Iowa for a 2 p.m. Super Bowl Sunday matinee with Drake at the Knapp Center.


LAST TIME OUT
A conventional three-point play by Shay Frederick with only 5.2 seconds remaining in regulation capped a stunning comeback as Valparaiso dealt Loyola a 66-64 setback last Friday in Valparaiso, Ind.  Abby O'Connor led the way for the Ramblers in the loss with 16 points, while Jala Johnson came off the bench to chip in 12 points.

LOYOLA – UNI – THE SERIES
Loyola and UNI will meet for the 15th time on Friday evening, a series in which the Panthers own an 11-3 (.786) edge in.  Since the two schools became Valley rivals prior to the start of the 2013-14 academic year, UNI has prevailed in 11 of the 12 matchups, including all six inside the McLeod Center.  In last season's meeting in Cedar Falls, Loyola whittled an early double-digit deficit down to just six at halftime, but was unable to get any closer as UNI picked up 64-52 victory over the Ramblers.  Ellie Rice finished with a team-high 12 points, while Tiara Wallace added 11 points of her own. UNI's Karli Rucker poured in 23 points to lead all scorers.



LOYOLA – DRAKE – THE SERIES
Drake holds a 15-3 (.833) lead in its 18 previous clashes with Loyola.  The Bulldogs have won 11 of their last 12 meetings with the Maroon & Gold, with the lone Loyola win coming back on January 24, 2014 as Troy Hambric scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Ramblers to a 75-69 triumph at the Knapp Center.  When the two teams met in Iowa's state capital last season, Drake used a 14-0 first-quarter run to seize control before Loyola shot a red-hot 73.3 percent (11-of-15) during the fourth quarter as it fell by a final score of 69-60.  O'Connor knocked down four of her five attempts from beyond the three-point arc to finish with a team-best 14 points in addition to seven rebounds.


PANTHERS ON THE PROWL
After falling on the road to Bradley, 61-47, and Illinois State, 65-57, last weekend, UNI returns home sitting at 11-7 (.611) overall and 3-4 (.429) in Missouri Valley Conference action.  The Panthers have been a tough out at home, going 6-0 inside the McLeod Center this season, a mark that includes an impressive 88-66 rout of now No. 18./19 Iowa back on November 17.  Three-time MVC Coach of the Year Tanya Warren returns 10 letterwinners from last season's team that finished 20-13 (12-6 MVC) en route to earning a berth in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).  Leading the way for the group of returnees is Rucker.  The Preseason All-MVC honoree leads the team in both scoring (12.7 ppg) and assists (3.6 apg). 


BEWARE THE BITE OF THIS DOG
Drake brings a 13-6 (.684) record into the weekend that includes a 5-2 (.714) ledger in MVC play.  The Bulldogs, who host Valparaiso on Friday, split a pair of games in Central Illinois last weekend, picking up a 69-67 overtime win at Illinois State before dropping a hard-fought 77-76 decision to Bradley.  Now in her eighth season as head coach, Jennie Baranczyk, a two-time MVC Coach of the Year award winner, has taken Drake to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons.  Baranczyk's team features one of the league's top one-two punches in Becca Hittner (17.8 ppg) and Sara Rhine (17.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg).  Hittner has won back-to-back Jackie Stiles Player of the Year awards, while Rhine has garnered First Team All-Valley nods in each of the last two seasons. 


UP NEXT
Loyola returns home next week to host Indiana State (February 6) and Evansville (February 8).  Along with serving as Alumni Day, the matchup with the Purple Aces will also be the program's annual Play4Kay Game in support of raising awareness for women's cancer and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.