CHICAGO - Loyola Chicago is on a five-game win streak and tied for first in the Atlantic 10 heading into Sunday's road game at Rhode Island. The Ramblers and Rams are set for an 11 a.m. CT tipoff where Loyola will look for its sixth consecutive win and first ever against Rhode Island.
Sunday's game can be streamed on CBS Sports Network with Fran Charles (PXP) and Jordan Cornett (Analyst) or be listened to on the Rambler Sports Network with Scott Sudikoff (PXP) and Christian Thomas (Analyst).
Quick Hits
• The Ramblers pulled off a gritty win against Saint Joseph's earlier this week on Valentine's Day. Loyola used an 11-2 run to open the second half to help pull ahead and pull off a down to the wire win over the Hawks, 64-59.
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Philip Alston led Loyola with 14 points and a season-high eight rebounds.
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Des Watson extended his double-figure scoring streak to five games and also crashed the glass for eight rebounds. He added four assists.
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Dame Adelekun put up 10 points off the bench.
• Over the win streak, five Ramblers are averaging at least 10 points a game. Watson leads the charge with 15.6 ppg on 43 percent from the field and nearly 47 percent from deep.
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Sheldon Edwards had a big trip to DC with a 27-point and 18-point outing to bring his average to 12.6 ppg over the last five games.
• Alston (10.4) and
Braden Norris (10.0) are also at the 10-point mark for Loyola over the streak.
• In league play, Loyola is shooting 45.7 percent from the field, ranking fourth.
• The Ramblers continue to share the ball the best among A-10 schools. Overall, Loyola records 16.84 apg led by Norris with 4.6 apg, ranking third on the leaderboards. He tallied a season-high seven vs. Saint Joseph's earlier this week.
• Head coach
Drew Valentine is in his third season at the helm. He holds a 53-36 overall career record. He notched his 50th win over Davidson and became the ninth head coach in program history to achieve the milestone.
Scouting Rhode Island
The Rams sit at 11-13 overall and 5-6 in A-10 play. Over the last two weeks, Rhode Island went 2-2 with wins over La Salle and George Washington and losses to Duquense and UMass. The Rams are shooting 47 percent from the field this season, ranking second in the league and 64th in the nation. They're also in the NCAA top-60 in three-point percentage at 36.4 percent.
Jordan House (15.3 ppg) and David Green (15.2) lead the Rhode Island offense this season. House has played in 24 games, while Green made his debut in December and played the last 11. House dropped 23 vs. George Washington and 22 vs. UMass in the last two games, while Green is on a four-game streak with at least 10 points. He had 29 vs. George Mason and then 20 against both La Salle and Duquense.
Archie Miller is in his second season at the helm. He holds a 20-35 record with the Rams.
Series History
Rhode Island claimed the first meeting in series last year winning 79-77.
Sheldon Edwards scored a team-high 16 points.
