The Valley on ESPN (subscription required) vs. UMKC | Live Stats vs. UMKC | Loyola Game Notes | UMKC Game Notes
CHICAGO (December 5, 2018) - After taking a week off for final exams, Loyola University Chicago returns to the Gentile Arena hardwood on Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m. to open up a three-game homestand against visiting UMKC. With a win over the Kangaroos, the Ramblers can post their first 5-0 start to a home season since the 1981-82 campaign.
Halftime of Sunday's matchup will feature the program's inaugural "Teddy Bear Toss", supporting Lutheran Social Services of Illinois' Rogers Park Head Start Child Care Center. Fans who bring a new or unused stuffed animal (no bead eyes preferred) to donate will receive $7 tickets to the day's doubleheader, which wraps up when Loyola's men's team takes on Norfolk State at 3 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Purdue used a dominant performance in the third quarter to create separation, picking up a 65-41 win over Loyola last Sunday at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. Abby O'Connor narrowly missed out on a double-double in the defeat, tallying eight points and nine rebounds.
LOYOLA – UMKC – THE SERIES
Loyola and UMKC will meet for only the second time on Sunday afternoon in Rogers Park. In the only previous encounter between the two teams, the Ramblers picked up a 74-71 victory back on January 9, 1988 in Chicago.
FEAR THE ROO
Under the direction of second-year head coach Jacie Hoyt, who played collegiately at former Valley member Wichita State (2006-09), UMKC (3-6 overall) has bounced back from an 0-5 start to the season to win three of its last four games. In their most recent outing last Sunday against Missouri-St. Louis, the Kangaroos shot 60 percent (36-of-60) from the field and had six players reach double figures in scoring as they cruised to a 92-63 victory at Swinney Auditorium.
Junior guard Ericka Mattingly leads a potent UMKC offense that ranks second overall in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in scoring (71.8 ppg). Mattingly, who is coming off a double-double (17 points, 12 assists) in the aforementioned win over the Tritons, tops the WAC charts in scoring (17.7 ppg), assists (6.4 apg) and steals (2.8 spg). Freshman forward Leilah Vigil has also impressed this season, averaging just shy of a double-double (11.0 ppg, 8.4 rpg), while operating at a team-high 55.1 percent (38-of-69) clip from the field.
UP NEXT
Loyola closes out the non-conference portion of its schedule on Thursday evening as No. 20/18 DePaul makes the short trip north from Lincoln Park for a 7 p.m. tip-off. Following their clash with the Blue Demons, the Ramblers will be idle for just over two weeks before opening Missouri Valley Conference play in the New Year by welcoming Valparaiso to Rogers Park on Sunday, January 6 at 1 p.m.
