CHICAGO (January 8, 2020) – After splitting a pair of razor-thin decisions at home last weekend, Loyola University Chicago will venture back out on the road, visiting the state of Indiana for two matchups.  Evansville will provide the opposition on Friday evening at 6 p.m. inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse, before the Ramblers head north to battle Indiana State in a 1 p.m. (CT) matinee at Hulman Center.

Loyola enters the weekend a perfect 6-0 on the road this season, a mark which ranks second nationally to UConn (7-0).  The Ramblers are one of only nine teams with at least six road victories on the year.


LAST TIME OUT
Loyola founds itself in a pair of two-point games to open Missouri Valley Conference play at Gentile Arena.  Last Friday, Loyola gave then No. 21/19 Missouri State all it could handle, taking the Lady Bears to overtime before a Jasmine Franklin buzzer beater secured the visitors a 74-72 victory.  The Ramblers responded with an impressive defensive effort less than 48 hours later, holding Southern Illinois to just under 38 percent shooting in a hard-fought 51-49 win over the Salukis.  Abby O'Connor paced the attack for the Maroon & Gold in the two contests, averaging team-high marks in points (16.7 ppg), rebounds (7.0 rpg), and blocks (1.3 bpg).

LOYOLA – EVANSVILLE – THE SERIES
Friday's Valley road opener for Loyola marks its 38th meeting with Evansville, a series in which the Ramblers hold a commanding 25-12 (.676) edge in.  Prior to becoming Valley rivals, the two schools were founding members of the former Midwestern City Conference, now known as the Horizon League.  The Ramblers have rattled off five straight wins over the Purple Aces over the past two seasons.  O'Connor averaged a team-best 18.0 points in Loyola's three wins over Evansville last season, including a pair of 22-point efforts, the last of which came as part of a double-double performance that also included 10 rebounds in a 90-80 triumph in the opening round of the MVC Tournament.  The Maroon & Gold were stout on the defensive end against Evansville last season, holding the Purple Aces to just 32.3 percent shooting across the three contests.


LOYOLA – INDIANA STATE – THE SERIES
Indiana State owns a 12-6 (.667) record in 18 previous matchups with Loyola.  The Ramblers picked up a pair of wins over the Sycamores last season, completing their first season sweep of Indiana State since joining The Valley while also snapping a six-game slide against the Sycamores that dated back to 2015-16 campaign.  After squeaking out a 56-54 win when the two teams met in Rogers Park, Loyola grinded out a 44-36 in the rematch in Terre Haute, picking up its first win at Hulman Center in program history.  The Maroon & Gold turned in a sparkling defensive performance in the road victory, limiting the Sycamores to just 27 percent from the field.


DEALING CARDS
Evansville finds itself in the midst of a three-game skid that has seen its record slip to 3-10 (0-2 MVC).  The Purple Aces dropped a pair of games in Central Illinois last weekend, falling to Bradley, 82-51, and Illinois State, 81-58.  Evansville's three wins this season have all come on its home floor.  Head coach Matt Ruffing's team landed 10th in the MVC Preseason Poll after finishing 4-26 overall (2-16 MVC) in 2018-19.  Freshman Abby Feit has wasted no time in establishing herself as a force for Evansville, averaging nearly a double-double (14.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg) across 13 appearances, all of which have come in a starting role.  Feit has also been a force on the defensive end, racking up a team-high 21 blocked shots on the year.  Lamar transfer Lola Bracy has provided a scoring punch after missing the team's first seven games, adding 14.3 ppg over the past six games.  


CAN'T SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES
With a roster comprised of 14 newcomers, Indiana State sits at 2-12 (0-2 MVC).  Like Evansville, the Sycamores, who will be looking to snap a 10-game slide this weekend when they battle Valparaiso and the Ramblers, dropped matchups last weekend to Illinois State, 83-69, and Bradley, 91-75.  Jamyra McChristine, a transfer from Tallahassee Community College, sits atop the Sycamores' scoring chart, averaging 9.4 points, and has a pair of double-double performances to her name this season.  McChristine is coming off a season-best 19-point effort against Bradley last Sunday.  LeAndra Echi leads the team in rebounding, pulling in a 7.6 caroms per game, while Del'Janae Williams dishes out 2.4 assists per contest.


UP NEXT
Loyola returns to the friendly confines of Gentile Arena next weekend to host in-state foes Bradley (January 17) and Illinois State (January 19).  Sunday's tilt with the Redbirds will feature a special free pregame clinic (girls eighth grade and below) in celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day.  A form to register can be found here and fans can purchase discounted tickets to the 1 p.m. tip-off with the code GIRLS2020.