CHICAGO - The non-conference schedule comes to an end Saturday with Loyola Chicago taking on Central Michigan at 1 p.m. in Gentile Arena. The Ramblers look to make it six straight wins on their home court, while the Chippewas could extend their win streak to three-straight games.
Tuesday's game can watched on NBC Sports Chicago or be listened to on the Rambler Sports Network with Scott Sudikoff (PXP) and Christian Thomas (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
• Loyola rallied for its seventh win of the season last week against Charleston Southern. After facing a two-point deficit at the half, the Ramblers held the Buccaneers to just 21-points in the second half to control a 72-59 win.
•
Dame Adelekun and
Miles Rubin stepped up big in the second helping fuel the win. Ten of Adelekun's 12 points were in the final frame, while Rubin added 10 on the day. It marked a career-high and first double-figure performance for the freshman center.
•
Philip Alston also recorded 12 points, extending his double-figure scoring streak to five straight games.
• After Adelekun's 5-for-8 outing vs. CSU, he shot up to third on the Atlantic 10 leaderboards in field goal percentage. He's shooting 61.7 percent from the field.
• Loyola has found success from beyond the arc this season shooting 35.5 percent as a squad. Four Ramblers rank in the league's top-25.
Sheldon Edwards sits sixth shooting 47.8 percent.
Jayden Dawson also falls in the top-10 at eighth shooting 46.8 percent.
Greg Dolan (19th) and
Braden Norris (24th) complete the list.
• Norris leads the Ramblers with 63 assists this season for a 5.3 apg average. He ranks second in the A10 and 39th in the NCAA. Norris has tallied a season-high seven assists in three games this year and dished out five or more in eight games.
• As a team, Loyola averages 17.3 assists per game to rank 28th nationally. In December, the Ramblers have averaged 21 apg, including a season-high 33 assists vs. Goshen. They also recorded 23 in a win vs. Harvard on Dec. 2.
• Head coach
Drew Valentine is in his third season at the helm. He holds a 42-34 overall career record.
Scouting Central Michigan
The Chippewas are 5-6 entering their final non-conference game of the season. They're on a two-game win streak after beating Davenport and Detroit Mercy on their home court before the holiday break. Central Michigan is 1-4 on the road with a road win at South Florida, 68-63, in mid-November.
Through the 11 games, Anthony Pritchard leads CMU with 13.5 points per game. He's shooting over 48 percent from the field and also averages a team-high 4.9 assists per game. Pritchard dropped a season-high 22 points at South Florida and again vs. Creighton earlier this month. He tallied a season-best nine assists vs. Siena to go with 18 points and seven rebounds.
In his third season as head coach of the Chippewas, Tony Barbee sits at 22-50 overall.
Series History
CMU leads the all-time series, 3-2. The last meeting was in the 2004-05 season.
