CHICAGO (March 9, 2021) – Ellie Rice (Austin, Texas/Regents School of Austin) and Allison Day (Russellville, Ohio/Eastern), both student-athletes on the Loyola University Chicago women's basketball team, have been named to the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Teams, which were announced on Tuesday by the league office. 
 
Both Rice and Day earned Second Team accolades, marking only the third time in program history that Loyola has placed multiple student-athletes on the MVC Scholar-Athlete Teams in the same season.
 
Now a two-time Scholar-Athlete honoree for her career, Rice has enjoyed a terrific senior campaign in Rogers Park.  The Austin, Texas native started in all 22 games and averaged 10.0 points, ranking second on the Rambler roster in scoring.  She has reached double figures in scoring nine times, none better than a career-best 28-point outburst against Drake on February 6.  A Biology major, Rice owns a 3.82 grade-point average.
 
Day, who is receiving her first Scholar-Athlete nod, has put together her finest season to date with the Maroon & Gold, averaging team-best marks in both scoring (11.0) and rebounding (6.6) as she, like Rice, has started in all 22 contests.  Out of Russellville, Ohio, the 6-foot-1 forward has operated at a red-hot 54.6 percent (95-for-174) clip from the field, a mark that puts her second overall in The Valley in the category.  She has scored in double figures on a team-high 13 occasions, including a career-high 22-point effort in the Maroon & Gold's thrilling 66-64 overtime win at UNI on February 20.  Day sports a 3.70 grade-point average as a Management major.
 
Sixth-seeded Loyola (10-12, 8-10 MVC) opens play in the MVC Championship on Friday at 8 p.m. when it faces off against third-seeded Illinois State in a quarterfinal-round clash inside TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Ill.
 
The criteria for Scholar-Athlete team balloting parallels the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for the Academic All-America voting. Nominees must be starters or important reserves, have played at least 75-percent of a team's games, and must carry at least a 3.30 GPA (on a 4.0 scale).  Student-athletes must also have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution (true and redshirt freshmen are not eligible) and must have completed at least one full academic year at the institution.

The list of 2020-21 MVC Scholar-Athlete Teams follows.
 
MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team
Shay Frederick, Valparaiso
Gabi Haack, Bradley
Maddie Monahan, Drake
Karli Rucker, UNI
Makenzie Silvey, Southern Illinois
 
MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team
Abby Brockmeyer, Southern Illinois
Brice Calip, Missouri State
Mary Crompton, Illinois State
Allison Day, Loyola
Ellie Rice, Loyola
 
MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention
Monica Burich, Drake
Abby Feit, Evansville
Adrian Folks, Indiana State
Abby Hipp, Missouri State
Payton McCallister, Southern Illinois
Paige Saylor, Illinois State