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Today's Game
Loyola looks to regroup from a tough outing at UW-Green Bay when it returns home to face Butler tonight at the Gentile Center. The Ramblers struggled to knock down shots against the Phoenix and, having had five days between games, look for a refreshed performance against the Bulldogs. Butler is coming off a 12-point home loss to league-leading UW-Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon, a setback which snapped a modest two-game winning streak.

All-Time Series
Tonight is the 48th meeting between the longtime conference rivals, with Butler holding a 31-16 lead in the all-time series. However, Loyola has held its own in the Windy City, posting a 13-9 edge at home including wins in four of the previous five meetings at the Gentile Center. Butler has won the last four meetings overall, including an 85-72 win at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Jan. 18. Danielle Lonie, who is out for the season, had a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Ramblers in that game. Butler's Lade Akande led four Bulldogs in double figures with 22 points and Butler knocked down five three-pointers in the second half to stave off a Loyola comeback attempt.

Head Coach Shannon Reidy
First-year head coach Shannon Reidy revitalized the Loyola program before coaching her first game. One of the premier high school coaches in the Midwest, Reidy's record and ability to take the program to the next level is unquestioned. Taking over a sub-.500 team, Reidy turned south-suburban Marian Catholic into a perennial state title contender, posting a 160-54 (.748) record in her seven seasons. More impressively, her charges went 115-17 (.871) over the last three years, advancing Downstate three times including a runner-up finish and a 31-2 record in 2001-02.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner
Loyola's 73-65 win over Cleveland State was the first collegiate victory for first-year head coach Shannon Reidy. In addition, it snapped an 18-game losing streak, dating back to last season, and was the program's first victory since a 78-69 win at Cleveland State on Feb. 10, 2005.

Better Balance On The Horizon
Loyola entered the 2005-06 season facing the daunting proposition of learning a completely new offensive system and putting it into practice against one of the tougher non-conference schedules. As a result, Loyola averaged only 54.3 ppg as a team through its 11 out-of-league contests. However, the offense has shown signs of improvement now that LU has reached conference play, as the Ramblers have put up 64.7 ppg in 12 Horizon League games, including a season-high 85 against Wright State. Perhaps more impressively, Loyola has received contributions from everybody, with three players, led by Marquise Hanser's 17.3 ppg, averaging double figures in League play and another (Mandy Mennella, 9.0 ppg) just short.

Turning The Tables
Loyola's 85-77 (OT) win over Wright State was more than a just reward for a team that has played hard all season. It was made that much more impressive when you consider that the Raiders knocked off the Ramblers just 10 days prior, 80-55, in Dayton. The win marked just the fifth time in the last 10 years that a Horizon League team had lost its first meeting to a conference foe by 25 or more points and came back to win the second meeting. However, what separates this instance, is that in each of the other four instances, a month had passed between games.

Hanser Highlights
Junior Marquise Hanser has exploded on the Horizon League scene this season, scoring at least 20 points in nine of Loyola's 22 games, including a career-high 28-point outburst against UW-Green Bay in the Ramblers' Horizon League opener and 25 more in the win against Wright State. By scoring 20 points in the season-opener against Illinois and 25 more against Illinois State, she became the first Loyola player to open a season with a pair of 20-point efforts since Stacy Kundinger at the start of the 1992-93 campaign. In addition, Hanser's nine 20+-point games equals Lora Wolf's accomplishment during the 1997-98 season and is the most in a single season since Sherry Metz did it 13 times during the 1991-92 campaign.

Mandy Musings
Guard Mandy Mennella has had an up-and-down senior season, struggling to find consistency after a couple of devastating injuries prematurely ended both her sophomore and junior seasons. She recorded her second career double-double (22 points, 10 rebounds) against Indiana State and scored 10 points the following game against Valparaiso before scoring just 17 points over the next four games, including a rare scoreless performance at Northern Kentucky. A 22-point performance in the win over Cleveland State followed and she poured in 21 more in the win over Youngstown State but has been stymied again in the last four games, hitting just six field goals and scoring only 19 points.

The Real-ity Is, Jenna Is Playing Well
After an early-season funk in which she was learning the nuances of a new system, junior Jenna Real has settled in nicely. She enjoyed a breakout game at Northern Kentucky, with a career-high 26 points and nine rebounds, and has carried that momentum over into Horizon League play. She opened conference play with 10 points and 12 rebounds against UW-Green Bay and has been a key contributor during the conference portion of the schedule, averaging 13.6 ppg and 6.6 rpg in the loop. Real was playing at an even higher level (20.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 77% FGs) over the three games prior to Saturday, when she was held to just two points in 23 minutes at Green Bay before leaving with a minor injury.

Well, They ARE Free ...
One of the underlying keys to Loyola's win over Wright State was its performance from the free throw line. The Ramblers knocked down 20-of-21 from the stripe for the game, including a perfect 7-for-7 in the extra session. By contrast, the Raiders went 18-for-31 for the game, including a dismal 6-of-14 showing in the first half. Loyola leads the Horizon League in free throw shooting this season, knocking down nearly 74% of its charity tosses as a team.

I Am Ironwoman ...
Junior guard Marquise Hanser has been Loyola's ironwoman this season, playing over 30 minutes in 22 of Loyola' 23 games, averaging a team-high 37.3 minutes/game this year. Amazingly, Hanser is averaging 39.3 mpg over the last six games (including a career-high 44 minutes in the overtime win against Wright St.) and has played 236 of 240 minutes in that span. The total would be even higher but she fouled out with five minutes to play at Green Bay on Saturday.

Don't Mess With Texas ... Or Ponder
Texas-native Emily Ponder has stepped up her play during the Horizon League center and, recently, has helped fill some of the void left by the injury to Danielle Lonie. Ponder, who averaged just 3.3 ppg and 3.0 rpg in 11 non-conference games, has turned it around and is averaging 7.9 ppg and 6.4 rpg in 12 Horizon League contests. She is coming off a team-high 12 points on Saturday at UW-Green Bay.

Eight Is, Technically, Enough ...
Injuries have ravaged the Loyola roster this season, leaving the Ramblers with just eight uniform players for tonight's game. Perhaps the added workload is taking its toll on Loyola's backcourt. Junior Marquise Hanser is shooting just 29% (13-of-45) from the floor over the last three games while senior Mandy Mennella has just 19 points, combined, over the last four contests.

... But More Than Eight Would Be Nice
Playing the best basketball of her career, senior forward Danielle Lonie will miss the remainder of the 2005-06 season with a shoulder injury, leaving the Ramblers with just eight players for the final three weeks. Lonie, who was the Horizon League Player of the Week for the week ending Jan. 21, averaged 14.1 ppg and 5.6 rpg in eight Horizon League games while shooting .639 from the floor. She joins freshman Cierra Thurman on the sidelines. Thurman is currently rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in November against Robert Morris.

20-20 Club
Loyola is the only team in the Horizon League, and one of the few teams in the country, that boast two active players who have recorded 20 rebounds in a game. Danielle Lonie was the first, tearing down 20 rebounds against UIC in 2004, before Marquise Hanser tied the school-record, snaring 21 rebounds last season against Youngstown State.

Doing Fine From 19'9''
One of Loyola's strengths last season was its ability to create and knock down shots from the perimeter. The Ramblers hit 167 from beyond the arc last season after knocking down a single-season record 175 trifectas in 2003-04 and have hit at least one three-pointer in 268 consecutive games dating back to March, 1996. After hitting just one against Robert Morris (on only four attempts), LU broke out the next day against UMBC, drilling 10-of-19 from distance.

Looking Ahead
Coach Reidy and her staff have already taken steps to replenish a roster that contains just nine scholarship players this season, as they announced the signing of five recruits, all Chicagoland products, during the early signing period. The five will be eligible for competition during the 2006-07 season.

Shannon Finnegan C Downers Grove, Ill./South
Jessica Hylton G/F Lockport, Ill./Lockport
Jennifer Juergens G/F Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara
Maggie McCloskey G Chicago, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield
Elyse VanBogaert C Elburn, Ill./Rosary