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CHICAGO (January 6, 2019) - A winner of four of its last five games overall, Loyola, which travels to Evansville Tuesday night, aims for its first 3-0 start in conference play since 2001-02, when it won its first six games in Horizon League play. Dating back to last season, Loyola has prevailed in 17 of its last 20 regular-season games in Missouri Valley Conference competition. The Ramblers have won four straight and eight of their last nine MVC road tilts and their last seven road losses in league play have come by a combined 17 points. 
 
Loyola's offense has begun to show signs of the highly efficient machine it was last season. Over the last pair of contests, the Ramblers are averaging 82.0 points per game and shooting 59.6 percent (62-for-104) from the field and 46.7 percent (21-for-45) from three-point territory, while dishing out 39 assists to only 18 turnovers.
 
Seventy points has been the barometer for success for Loyola this season. When scoring 70 or more points, the Ramblers are 9-0 in 2018-19. Conversely, Loyola is 0-6 when scoring fewer than 70 points. The Ramblers are shooting 54.8 percent from the field in the last nine MVC games.
 
Loyola – Evansville – The Series
Tuesday's game is the 47th meeting between the Ramblers and Purple Aces in a series that began in 1979. Evansville holds a 26-20 advantage in the series, but Loyola has claimed three of the last four matchups. When playing on Evansville's home floor, Loyola is 10-14 all-time and since the start of the 1987-88 campaign is just 3-10 in Evansville.
 
In the last meeting between the teams, Loyola shot 70 percent from the field and sewed up at least a share of the MVC regular season championship with a 76-66 victory at Ford Center. Marques Townes led the way with 22 points, while Clayton Custer pitched in 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists.  Loyola has shot the ball extremely well in its last two trips to Evansville, sinking 52.4 percent (43-for-82) of its field goal tries and 45.7 percent (16-for-35) of its three-point attempts.
 
Scouting Evansville
Evansville has been tripped up in four of its last six games and is coming off a 58-46 loss at Illinois State. The Purple Aces are 7-1 at Ford Center this season, with the lone loss coming at the hands of Jacksonville State (55-50) December 15, and are putting up 78.6 ppg on their home floor.
 
Junior guard K.J. Riley spearheads the Evansville offense with 14.1 ppg while also pitching in 4.7 rpg and 2.9 apg. Under first-year coach Walter McCarty, the Aces rank ninth in The Valley in field goal percentage (.422) but lead the league in free throw percentage (.750).
 
Up Next
Loyola opens a two-game homestand Saturday (Jan. 12) when it hosts Illinois State at 1 p.m. in a game that will be televised live on ESPN2.