CHICAGO (February 12, 2020) – Fresh off opening its second trip through Missouri Valley Conference play with a pair of victories at home last week, Loyola University Chicago (15-7, 6-5 MVC) will visit Central Illinois this coming weekend to battle a pair of in-state foes.

The two-game swing begins on Friday night inside Redbird Arena in Normal, Ill., where Illinois State will play host to the Ramblers in a 7 p.m. tip-off.  Loyola will then make the short trip on Interstate 74 to Peoria, Ill. for a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee with Bradley at Renaissance Coliseum.


LAST TIME OUT
Loyola picked up wins over Indiana State, 65-55, and Evansville, 77-47, last week in Rogers Park.  In Thursday's matchup with the Sycamores, Alexis Meyer, who was making her first start since November 28, 2017, scored a career-high tying 14 points (6-8 FGs, 2-4 FTs) to lead a group of three Ramblers in double figures.  Tiara Wallace took over from the onset just two days later against the Purple Aces, pouring in a career-best 26 points (10-13 FGs, 1-2 3FGs, 5-5 FTs) in addition to 13 rebounds, six assists, a block, and three steals.  Abby O'Connor also posted a double-double in Saturday's victory, finishing with 12 points (5-12 FGs, 2-5 3FGs) and 12 rebounds.  For her efforts throughout last week, Wallace was named College Sports Madness' Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week on Monday.

LOYOLA – ILLINOIS STATE – THE SERIES
Loyola and Illinois State will meet for the 19th time this evening as part of a series that dates back to March 2, 1978.  The Redbirds own an 11-7 (.611) lead in the previous 18 matchups, with both teams protecting their respective home courts in each of the past three seasons.  Loyola is just 1-7 (.125) in eight trips to Redbird Arena.  The Maroon & Gold picked up a 69-64 win when it battled Illinois State back on January 19 in Rogers Park.  Allison Day paced the Ramblers in the win, scoring 15 of her game-high 17 points in the second half to lead a trio in double figures that also included Wallace (10 points) and Ellie Rice (10 points).  Lexi Wallen poured in a game-best 23 points for Illinois State.
 



LOYOLA – BRADLEY – THE SERIES
Bradley has prevailed in seven of its last eight meetings with Loyola to open up a 26-16 (.619) advantage in the all-time series between the two teams.  The Ramblers have picked up two wins in six tries at Renaissance Coliseum since joining The Valley, most recently earning a 71-61 victory back on February 4, 2018.  When Bradley visited Gentile Arena on January 17, O'Connor became the 25th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark for her career, but the Braves held the Maroon & Gold to just under 29 percent from the field as they took home a 60-47 win.  Gabi Haack led Bradley in the win with a game-high 16 points. 



BIRDWATCHING
Illinois State enters Friday's tilt looking to snap a brief two-game slide that has seen its record slip to 13-8 overall (5-5 MVC).  The Redbirds saw action only once last week, dropping a tightly contested 66-62 decision to Bradley at Redbird Arena.  Three-time defending MVC Newcomer of the Week Juliunn Redmond came off the bench to finish with a team-high 18 points in the defeat.  Lexi Wallen and TeTe Maggett lead the attack for third-year head coach Kristen Gillespie's team.  Wallen holds team-best marks in both scoring (16.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.4 rpg), while Maggett, the reigning MVC Newcomer of the Year, is close behind, chipping in 16.1 points per game.  Juliunn Redmond has upped her game to another level during Valley play, averaging 13.2 points and 6.8 rebounds across Illinois State's 10 league contests. 



BRAVEHEARTED
Bradley finds itself just 1.5 games out of first in the MVC standings, currently sitting at 8-2 in league play and 17-4 overall.  The Braves have been a tough out on their home floor, rattling off 15 straight victories inside Renaissance Coliseum, a streak that dates back to a 58-53 win over Southern Illinois on January 20, 2019.  Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Andrea Gorski, Bradley's attack is spearheaded by the trio of Lasha Petree (17.0 ppg), Gabi Haack (13.0 ppg), and Nyjah White (10.5 ppg), all of whom average in double figures in scoring.  2018-19 First Team All-Valley selection Chelsea Brackmann has rounded into form since the start of league action, adding 10.7 points and 7.0 rebounds since January 3.


UP NEXT
Loyola sees its lone action of next week when it opens a three-game homestand against Valparaiso on Saturday, February 22 at 2 p.m.