CHICAGO - Loyola Chicago continues a home stand this Tuesday with a crosstown clash against UIC. The Ramblers and Flames tipoff at 7 p.m. in Gentile Arena. Loyola looks to make it 2-0 on its home court and win its 11th straight game vs. UIC.
Tuesday's game can be listened to on the Rambler Sports Network with Scott Sudikoff (PXP) and Christian Thomas '15 (Analyst). Listen on the Go Ramblers App, Varsity Network App or LoyolaRamblers.com with pregame coverage starting 20 minutes prior to tip-off.
QUICK HITS
•The Ramblers dominated their home opener against the Eastern Illinois Panthers last week with an 89-65 win. It marked the 15th consecutive home opening win for Loyola.
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Des Watson scored a career-high 24 points in the win. He was 8-of-11 from the field with six three-pointers. He added three boards, two assists, and a block.
•Watson's performance Saturday makes him the Rambler scoring leader averaging 15.5 points per game after the first week. He is tied 16th in the Atlantic 10 in scoring. He's also ranked ninth in three-point percentage (.667) having hit 6-of-9 from deep.
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Greg Dolan and
Patrick Mwamba joined Watson in double-figures against the Panthers. Dolan recorded 12 points, while Mwamba added 11, all of which were in the second half.
•Through the first two games,
Braden Norris leads Loyola with 5.0 assists per game. He dished out seven vs. EIU and three against No. 10 FAU.
• The Ramblers battled in the season opener against No. 10 FAU in the second annual Barstool Sports Invitational. The Owls edged Loyola for a 75-62 win.
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Philip Alston led Loyola with 15 points on 4-of-12 from the field and 6-of-8 from the line. He added six boards.
• Head coach
Drew Valentine is in his third season at the helm. He holds a 36-30 overall career record.
SCOUTING THE UIC FLAMES
After the first week of play, the Flames are 1-1 after dropping the opener at Cincinnati (69-58) and winning at home vs. Little Rock (86-71).
Toby Okani is averaging a double-double after two starts, proving his spot on the Preseason All-MVC squad. He dropped a 20-point performance at Cincinnati and grabbed 11 boards. Okani followed that up with a 14 point, 10 rebound double-double vs. the Trojans. He added six assists, seven blocks, and a steal across the two games.
Luke Yaklich is in his fourth season at the helm. The Flames are 36-50 under his guidance.
SERIES HISTORY
UIC leads the all-time series, 31-28, but Loyola has downed UIC in 10 consecutive meetings. Last season, the Ramblers beat the Flames, 70-63. They were led by
Philip Alston who tallied 18 points and seven rebounds.
