CHICAGO (March 9, 2022) – After closing the regular season with wins in six of its final seven games, Loyola University Chicago (18-11, 10-8 MVC) begins play in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship this weekend in Moline, Ill. For a second straight postseason, Illinois State will provide the opposition in the quarterfinal round, as the fifth-seeded Ramblers and fourth-seeded Redbirds are slated for a 2:30 p.m. tip-off on Friday afternoon inside TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Ill.
Receiving its second opening-round bye in as many seasons, Loyola's 18 wins on the year are its most in a season since 1988-89. The Ramblers' fifth-place finish in the MVC standings is tied for the program's best since joining The Valley.
LAST TIME OUT
Loyola held perennial MVC power Missouri State to a paltry 24 percent mark from the field as it rolled to a 60-42 victory over the Lady Bears last Saturday on Senior Day at Gentile Arena.
Allison Day (16 points),
Maya Chandler (15 points), and
Riley Blackwell (13 points) all scored in double figures in the win.
LOYOLA/ILLINOIS STATE – THE SERIES
Meeting in the quarterfinals of the MVC Championship for the second time in as many seasons, Loyola and Illinois State will clash for the 25th time on Friday afternoon. The Redbirds swept the regular season series between the two teams, picking up a 68-50 win at Redbird Arena before escaping Gentile Arena with a 57-53 triumph, to open up a 16-8 (.667) advantage in the all-time series.
When the two teams met in last season's conference tournament,
Allison Day put up a career-high 23 points, while
Maya Chandler drained a pressure-packed free throw with one second remaining to propel the Maroon & Gold to a 61-60 win and a first-ever berth in the semifinals of the MVC Championship.
BIRDWATCHING
Illinois State, which dropped four of its final five games to close the regular season, enters the conference tournament at 16-13 overall and 12-6 in MVC play.
The Redbirds snapped a four-game skid in their regular-season finale, holding off Bradley by a final score of 62-53 last Saturday at Renaissance Coliseum. DeAnna Wilson (22 points, 17 rebounds) and Juliunn Redmond (17 points) led Illinois State in the win.
After being named a First Team All-MVC pick last season, Redmond has once again proven to be one of The Valley's top offensive threats, averaging a league-best 17.1 points, putting up 20 points or more on 10 different occasions. Wilson, who errupted for a career-high 25 points in the Redbirds' win over Loyola back on January 15, sits just behind Redmond on the team's scoring chart, putting up 13.5 points per game in addition to pulling down a team-best 7.6 rebounds per contest. The Ramblers will also need to be wary of Mary Crompton (9.8 ppg), who has knocked down 67 three-point field goal attempts, a mark that ranks second overall in the MVC.
UP NEXT
With a victory on Friday, Loyola will move on to the semifinals of the MVC Championship at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, where it would take on the winner of the quarterfinal-round matchup featuring top-seeded Southern Illinois and either No. 8 Indiana State or No.9 Evansville.
