CHICAGO (December 18, 2022) – Loyola University Chicago (3-8) returns to action this week with back-to-back neutral-site games at the UCF Christmas Classic, hosted in Orlando, Fla. at Addition Financial Arena. The Ramblers are slated to play Elon (4-4) on Tuesday (11 a.m. CT), before matching up against Idaho State (5-4) on Wednesday (1 p.m. CT) to finish the non-conference portion of the regular season schedule.
Last Time Out
After a break for Finals Week, Loyola is looking to bounce back from a 77-53 road setback at Marquette on Saturday, Dec. 10.
Maya Chandler led Loyola with 20 points, recording back-to-back 20-point outings for the first time in her career.
Sam Galanopoulos added 14 and
Emma Nolan posted a season-best 11 points, while
Kira Chivers dished out a career-best six assists. The Ramblers climbed out of an early double-digit deficit to trail by only three points at halftime, with Chandler accounting for 16 first-half points, but the Golden Eagles utilized a 10-0 run in the third quarter to reclaim a double-digit cushion. Marquette shot 53.7% overall from the field while Loyola shot at a 38.9% clip.
Series Stuff
Both games this week will feature first-time opponents for Loyola. Tuesday's game against Elon will be just the second matchup against an opponent from the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in program history. The Ramblers traveled to CAA member Northeastern on Dec. 18, 2001, and came away victorious with an 87-83 triumph. In addition, the Ramblers' matchup on Wednesday against Idaho State marks just the fifth contest (2-2) played against a Big Sky opponent. Most recently, Loyola hosted Big Sky member, Idaho, in a narrow two-point loss (62-60) at Gentile Arena on Nov. 16, 2013.
Scouting Elon
Before heading to Florida, Elon will make a pit stop Sunday afternoon for a road contest at Davidson. The Phoenix rattled off four consecutive wins, but have dropped their past two outings since, including a 12-point loss to Richmond last Thursday. Three players are averaging double figures in scoring, led by freshman guard Raven Preston (12.8 ppg), graduate student guard Lenaejha Evans (12.3 ppg) and graduate student Evonna McGill (10.4 ppg).
Scouting Idaho State
Idaho State is a winner of three straight games, and four of its past five outings, entering the UCF Christmas Classic. The Bengals defeated Utah Valley, 64-48, in its most recent outing and will face host UCF Tuesday. A pair of graduate student guards lead the Bengals in scoring, including Callie Bourne (13.6 ppg) and Finley Garnett (10.4 ppg). As a team, Idaho State is averaging 55.3 points per contest while shooting 38.4% overall from the field, while limiting opponents to 53.4 points per game and 34.6% from the field.
Up Next
Loyola will close out the 2022 calendar year with its conference opener – the program's first conference game as an A-10 member – when the Ramblers head to Saint Louis on Wednesday, Dec. 28 (7 p.m.).
