Loyola Game Notes vs. Evansville | The Valley on ESPN3 vs. Evansville | Live Stats vs. Evansville
 
Loyola Game Notes vs. Indiana State | The Valley on ESPN3 vs. Indiana State | Live Stats vs. Indiana State


CHICAGO (February 21, 2018) – Coming off an impressive win over Southern Illinois, Loyola University Chicago will hit the road for the final time during the 2017-18 regular season this weekend when it heads to the state of Indiana.  The two-game Hoosier State swing begins with a visit to Evansville at 7 p.m. on Friday evening, before the Maroon & Gold head north on Interstate 41 to Terre Haute, Ind. on Sunday afternoon for a 1 p.m. (CT) clash with Indiana State.
 

Doubling Down

• Evansville returns home sitting at 3-22 overall and is in the midst of a 16-game slide.  The Purple Aces are still in search of their first Valley victory (0-14 MVC).
• The Purple Aces dropped a pair of games last weekend in Central Illinois, coming up short at Bradley, 92-47, before suffering a 77-40 defeat at the hands of Illinois State to close out the two-game swing. Kerri Gasper led the way in both contests, averaging 19.0 points per game over the weekend.
• Gasper ranks second on head coach Matt Ruffing's team in scoring at 13.0 ppg, trailing only Hannah Noe (13.3 ppg). Evansville sits at the bottom of the MVC in both scoring defense (81.8 ppg) and scoring margin (-20.2). One area where the Purple Aces have excelled is the free throw line, where they operate at a Division I-best 82.9 percent clip.

 
Can't See The Forest For The Trees

• Indiana State, which bounced back for a 74-70 win over Bradley last Sunday following a 63-53 setback at Illinois State, enters the weekend at 9-16 overall and 7-7 in conference play.
• Since the appointment of Josh Keister as interim head coach on January 2, the Sycamores have gone 7-5 to climb up to fifth in the league standings.
• Ashli O'Neal (11.8 ppg) and Wendi Bibbins (10.7 ppg) both average in double figures for the Sycamores. Bibbins, who averages a team-best 1.4 blocks per game, has also proven to be a force on the glass, collecting 8.9 rebounds per game, a mark that ranks second overall in the Valley.

 
Up Next

• Loyola returns home next weekend to close the regular season portion of its schedule with matchups against Valley-leader Drake (March 1) and Northern Iowa (March 3).
• The Ramblers will honor their graduating senior class of Jessica Cerda, Katie Salmon and Lee Williams prior to the regular season finale with the Panthers.