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CHICAGO (December 27, 2017) - Loyola closes out the calendar year looking to halt a two-game skid when it hosts Evansville Saturday afternoon. The Ramblers, who are ranked No. 7 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, are trying to avoid their third straight 0-2 start to league play. Loyola brings an eight-game winning streak at Gentile Arena into Saturday's game and has prevailed in 12 of its last 14 games in Rogers Park.
 
Series Stuff
The Ramblers and Purple Aces are squaring off for the 45th time in a series that dates back to 1979. Evansville holds a 26-18 edge in the all-time series and has claimed four of the last five meetings between the teams. Loyola won 13 of the first 18 games in the series, but has dropped 21 of the last 26.
 
Last year, the teams split the season series, with the home team winning each contest. When the teams met at Gentile Arena on January 21, Aundre Jackson netted a team-high 17 points to spur the Ramblers to a 67-61 victory. Close games have been the norm in this series since Loyola joined The Valley with all eight meetings determined by nine points or less, including four by a single possession.
 
The Ramblers are 9-11 all-time against the Purple Aces in Chicago but are just 1-3 at Gentile Arena since joining the MVC, with two of those setbacks coming by three or fewer points.
 
When the teams last faced off, on February 8 in Evansville, Loyola's second-half rally from a 15-point deficit fell just short in a 60-58 loss. Clayton Custer racked up team highs of 18 points and seven rebounds to pace the Ramblers.
 
Scouting Evansville
Evansville has stumbled in its last two games after stringing together a five-game winning streak prior to a 104-40 loss at Duke on December 20. The Purple Aces, who lead the nation in three-point field goal percentage (.463), are 1-2 in true road games this season and have lost eight of their last nine MVC tilts away from home.
 
Redshirt junior guard Ryan Taylor, who just returned to action after missing seven games due to an injury, leads Evansville with 21.4 ppg. Injured guard Dru Smith adds 12.4 ppg and redshirt senior Blake Simmons pitches in 11.9 ppg. Six Aces are shooting at least 40 percent from three-point territory, led by Smith's 57.1 percent (12-for-21) rate. Meanwhile, Simmons is knocking down treys at a 50.9 percent (29-for-57) clip.
 
Despite 22 points from Taylor, Evansville opened Valley play last weekend with a 72-66 loss to Illinois State at the Ford Center in Evansville.
 
Up Next
Loyola wraps up a brief two-game homestand when it welcomes Indiana State to Gentile Arena on January 3.