CHICAGO (December 19, 2021) – Following a 10-day break from head-to-head competition due to final exams, Loyola University Chicago gets back on the court on Tuesday evening when it heads east to Cleveland, Ohio to battle former Horizon League foe Cleveland State in the second game of a four-game road swing. Tip-off from inside the Wolstein Center is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT).
Currently sitting at 7-3 on the year, the Ramblers are already assured of finishing non-conference play with a winning record for the third time in the last four seasons.
LAST TIME OUT
Sam Galanopoulos scored a career-high tying 17 points, while
Bre Hampton-Bey added 16 points of her own as Loyola opened its road trip with a 69-48 win over Central Michigan back on December 11 in Mount Pleasant, Mich. The Ramblers turned in another swarming defensive effort in the victory, holding an opponent below 50 points for the fourth time this season.
LOYOLA/CLEVELAND STATE – THE SERIES
Loyola and Cleveland State will meet on Tuesday evening for the first time in just shy of eight years when both programs were members of the Horizon League. The Vikings, who are the second Horizon League foe that the Ramblers have faced during non-conference play, own a 25-15 lead (.625) in the all-time series.
In its last visit to The Forest City on February 25, 2013, Loyola picked up a 72-67 win behind a game-high 29 points from Simone Law. Taylor Johnson added 13 points in the victory, while Abby Skube chipped in 10 points as the Maroon & Gold completed a regular season sweep of the Vikings.
SKOL, VIKINGS
One of just seven remaining unbeatens in Division I, Cleveland State enters Tuesday's pre-Christmas matchup at 9-0 overall and a perfect 4-0 in Horizon League action.
The Vikings cruised to a 104-51 win over Ohio Christian this past Saturday after it saw prospective clashes with Akron and Hofstra wiped off the schedule due to COVID-19 implications.
Picked sixth in the Horizon League following a 2020-21 campaign in which it finished 14-9 overall (8-8 Horizon) en route to winning the Women's Basketball Invitational championship, fourth-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier's team is led by Destiny Leo. The explosive guard averages a team-high 24.2 points, a mark which ranks third overall nationally, and has hit the 20-point mark in five of her six outings. Gabriella Smith has provided a jolt off the bench, adding 12.0 points per game for a Viking attack that averages 80.0 points.
UP NEXT
Loyola raises the curtain on its 18-game Missouri Valley Conference slate on Friday, December 31 with a 2 p.m. matchup against two-time defending MVC regular season champion Missouri State inside JQH Arena.
