CHICAGO (January 24, 2023) – Looking to get back on track, Loyola (6-13, 1-5 A-10) hosts George Washington (12-8, 4-3 A-10) Wednesday for an 11 a.m. CT tipoff on NBC Sports. The first meeting between the two programs has been selected for the annual "Field Trip Day with the Ramblers", with a few thousand local schoolchildren expected in attendance at Gentile Arena.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Loyola suffered its fifth straight defeat in Sunday's 67-51 home setback to La Salle. The Ramblers started hot in their return to Gentile, leading the majority of the first two quarters until a late 10-0 run sparked the Explorers to a 30-28 halftime lead. La Salle carried the momentum into the third quarter and built a double-digit lead as the Ramblers shot just 1 for 12 from the field. Loyola chipped away to get back within nine at the final media timeout when Kira Chivers, who made her first career start, scored four straight points during a 7-0 run, but that was as close as Loyola would get. Mallory Ramage led the Ramblers in scoring for the second straight outing with nine points, while Sitori Tanin went 4-for-4 shooting with eight points. Loyola went 16 for 19 (84.2%) at the free throw line but struggled from deep after being limited to just three made 3-pointers in the third straight game. The Explorers outscored the Ramblers 17-3 in second-chance points, including nine posted in the third period.
 
SERIES STUFF
Wednesday's matchup is the first meeting against George Washington in program history. In total, Loyola's 2022-23 schedule features 15 first-time opponents. Prior to joining the Atlantic 10 this season, Loyola previously played only three of its 14 current conference opponents including Dayton, La Salle and Saint Louis, and the Ramblers have already played a first-time opponent eight times (3-5). In those eight contests against new opponents, Loyola is surrendering under 60 points per game on average.
 
SCOUTING GEORGE WASHINGTON
For the third straight outing, Loyola will match up against a high-volume three-point shooting squad. George Washington ranks third in the A-10 in 3-pointers per game (8.1) and 49th nationally in three-point attempts (24) per contest, with Loyola limiting opponents to 31% shooting from beyond the arc – seventh lowest in the A-10. Graduate student Mia Lakstigal, a Naperville native and transfer from Penn, leads the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game, while shooting nearly 40% from beyond the arc. Redshirt senior Mayowa Taiwo ranks second in the conference in field-goal percentage (53.4%) and leads the league in offensive rebounds per game (4.2). George Washington is coming off a 69-61 home win over VCU last Sunday but has dropped its past two road games. Head coach Caroline McCombs took over the GW program prior to last season, finishing 13-18 overall in her debut, after a successful seven-year tenure at Stony Brook where she earned 2020 America East Coach of the Year.
 
UP NEXT
Loyola travels to Richmond, Va. for Sunday's 12 p.m. CT tipoff at VCU.