CHICAGO (February 23, 2021) – Fresh off a thrilling victory on Saturday, Loyola University Chicago (10-7, 8-5 MVC) returns to the friendly confines of Gentile Arena on Wednesday evening as it goes after a season sweep of Valparaiso.  Tip-off from Rogers Park is slated for 6 p.m.

Wednesday's tilt is the third in a grueling stretch that sees the Ramblers play five games across a nine-day span.  Loyola enters the week sitting alone in third in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, a half-game up on fourth-place Illinois State and a full game in front of both Northern Iowa and Bradley.

LAST TIME OUT
After dropping a 78-51 decision to Northern Iowa last Friday, Loyola secured a crucial road split, besting the Panthers by a final count of 66-64 in overtime this past Saturday at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  Allison Day averaged a team-high 19.0 points over the weekend, highlighted by a career-high 22 points in Saturday's win, while Ellie Rice scored the game-winning bucket with just five seconds remaining in overtime of the series finale.

LOYOLA/VALPARAISO – THE SERIES
Wednesday's matchup will be the 32nd installment in the rivalry between Loyola and Valparaiso.  Valparaiso holds a 24-7 (.774) advantage in the previous 31 meetings, 12 of which came when the two institutions were members of the Horizon League from 2007-13.

Loyola snapped a three-game skid to Valparaiso when the two teams met back on January 19, 2021, picking up a 53-36 win at the Athletics-Recreation Center.  Bre Hampton-Bey paced the Maroon & Gold in the win with 11 points, while Day recorded a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) as the Ramblers earned their first road win over Valparaiso since January 16, 2013.  Loyola turned in a stifling defensive effort in the victory, holding the hosts to just 27.8 percent (15-for-54) shooting from the field.

RING THE BELL
Valparaiso, which split its series with Evansville this past weekend in Northwest Indiana, comes into Wednesday's midweek clash at 8-10 overall and 4-7 in Valley play, having dropped four of its last six games.  Piloted by third-year head coach Mary Evans, Valparaiso relies heavily on three-point shooting, having attempted an MVC-high 531 triples while operating at a 30.3 percent clip (161-for-531) from distance.  They average a league-best 8.9 made threes per game.

Valparaiso is led by a trio of players who average in double figures.  Spearheading the attack is Carie Weinman, who puts home a team-high 13.9 points per game.  Shay Frederick is close behind at 13.5 ppg, but has led Valparaiso since the start of MVC play, averaging 14.8 points across the team's 11 Valley contests.  Grace White, who did not appear in Valparaiso's weekend series with Evansville, chips in 11.1 points per game in addition to a team-best 6.0 rebounds per game.

UP NEXT
Loyola hits the road for the final time in 2020-21 this weekend, February 27-28, for a two-game set against No. 23/19 Missouri State. The series was originally scheduled for January 8-9, but was postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests among the Lady Bears' Tier 1 personnel.  Both matchups are set for 5 p.m. tip-offs from inside JQH Arena in Springfield, Mo.