CHICAGO (February 12, 2022) - Loyola returns to Gentile Arena, where it has won 36 of its last 37 games, to face Northern Iowa Sunday afternoon in an important game in the Missouri Valley Conference race. The Ramblers enter the weekend action a half game behind the Panthers atop the MVC standings. 

Seventy points has been the magic number for the Ramblers this season. Loyola is an unblemished 13-0 when scoring 70 or more points, but is only 5-5 when failing to record 70 points.

Since opening the year by capturing 14 of their first 16 contests, Loyola has won just four of its last seven games.

Gentile Arena has provided a distinct home-court advantage for the Ramblers, especially over the last few seasons. Loyola has captured 25 of its last 26 contests in Valley play on its home floor and since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, is a staggering 39-3 (.929) at Gentile Arena versus MVC competition.

Graduate student Lucas Williamson has had a big week, earning MVC Player of the Week accolades for the first time in his career on February 7, and two days later was named a finalist for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award. He also served as a co-writer and narrator of the documentary The Loyola Project, which debuted this week. The film chronicles the Ramblers' 1963 NCAA championship team's battle against racism.

Loyola – Northern Iowa – The Series

This is the 25th meeting between the Ramblers and Panthers in a series that dates back to 1994. After winning just two of the first 11 matchups, Loyola has prevailed in 11 of the last 13 outings, and has captured each of the last three meetings between the clubs. Of the last 12 games, three have gone into overtime and five others were decided by six points or less.

Loyola is 9-3 against Northern Iowa in the Windy City and has won seven in a row at Gentile Arena since a 58-39 defeat on February 18, 2015.

Last season, the Ramblers breezed to a pair of wins at Gentile Arena, winning 72-57 on January 16 before hammering the Panthers, 88-46, the following day. In that 42-point blowout, Loyola shot scalding 62.3 percent (33-for-53) from the field and 55 percent (11-for-20) from three-point range.

Scouting Northern Iowa 

Northern Iowa is the hottest team in The Valley and brings a five-game win streak into Sunday's showdown in Chicago. The Panthers are 10-2 in their last 12 contests after getting off to a 4-7 start to 2021-22.

The dean of Valley head coaches, Ben Jacobson, who is in his 16th season at UNI, has led his club to a 6-3 record in true road games this season and a 4-2 mark away from home in MVC play. Two of UNI's road wins in league play came by a single point and the other two each were five-point margins. 

Preseason Player of the Year AJ Green, a junior guard, leads the Panthers with 18.3 points per game, while sophomore forward Noah Carter has had a breakthrough season and is putting up 14.3 ppg.

Up Next

Loyola closes out the season series with Valparaiso when it makes the short trip to Indiana on February 16. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT.