CHICAGO (March 10, 2020) – With its regular season slate now complete, Loyola University Chicago (15-14, 6-12 MVC) will open play in the 2020 Missouri Valley Conference Championship on Thursday afternoon.  The Ramblers, who are seeded eighth, will battle ninth-seeded Indiana State at 4 p.m. inside TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Ill.

Loyola, which is in search of its second postseason victory in as many years, can clinch its first winning season since 2012-13 with a victory over the Sycamores on Thursday afternoon.


LAST TIME OUT
Loyola closed the regular season with a pair of road setbacks to Southern Illinois, 58-41, and No. 23/21 Missouri State, 72-61. Tiara Wallace led the Ramblers in both games, finishing with 14 points (5-14 FGs, 4-5 FTs) against the Salukis before pouring in 22 points (8-15 FGs, 1-2 3FGs, 5-5 FTs) in Sunday's matchup with the Lady Bears, a game which Loyola led in the fourth quarter. Allison Day also impressed against Missouri State, coming off the bench to score a career-high tying 20 points (9-11 FGs, 1-1 3FGS, 1-2 FTs).

LOYOLA – INDIANA STATE – THE SERIES
Loyola and Indiana State are set to meet for the 21st time in Thursday afternoon's postseason opener.  The Ramblers have rattled off four straight wins against the Sycamores to cut Indiana State's lead in the all-time series to 12-8 (.600).  Loyola swept the regular season series for the second time in as many years in 2019-20, downing the Sycamores by a final count of 58-51 at Hulman Center on January 12 before battling back from an early nine-point hole just under a month later (February 6) en route to a 65-55 victory at Gentile Arena.  Janae Gonzales led the Maroon & Gold in the matchup in The Hoosier State, finishing with 12 points, while Alexis Meyer erupted for a career-high tying 14 points in the return matchup in Rogers Park.


CAN'T SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES
Under the direction of second-year head coach Vicki Hall, Indiana State closed the regular season at 5-25 (.167), going 3-15 (.167) in Missouri Valley Conference play.  The Sycamores dropped five of their final six games, with the lone win coming in a 70-58 win over Evansville on February 28.  Hall's team features a roster comprised of 14 newcomers. Leading the way for that group has been Jamyra McChristine.  McChristine averaged a team-high 11.0 points during her debut campaign in Terre Haute, a mark that she upped to 12.5 points per game during MVC play.  The Ramblers will look to take advantage of an Indiana State defense that has been suspect at times this year, ranking ninth in The Valley in scoring defense (70.5 ppg) and last in field goal percentage defense (.436).


UP NEXT
The winner of Thursday afternoon's matchup will advance on to the quarterfinals, where a date with No. 23/19 Missouri State, the league's reigning regular season champion, awaits at 12 p.m. on Friday.