Nov. 29, 2005

CHICAGO -

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Tonight's Game
Loyola looks to break into the win column tonight when it hosts Chicago State at the Gentile Center. The Ramblers have gotten off to a slow start this season, but put together a pair of encouraging performances over the weekend at the USF/Best Western Roundball Classic in Tampa, Fla. Chicago State has gotten off to a strong start this year, winning three of its first four games, all at home. Senior guard Tina Hill leads the team in scoring (12.0 ppg) while Renada Blackburn (9.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg) gives CSU an inside presence.

All-Time Series
Tonight is the 12th meeting between the two Chicago schools, with Loyola holding a 9-2 lead in the all-time series. However, the Cougars have had the better of it recently, winning the last two matchups, including a 67-58 win two years ago at the Gentile Center. Last year, it was Brandi Janai Carter scoring 15 points in 16 minutes off the bench in a 76-68 Cougar win on the South Side.

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.

Out With The Old ...
Loyola opens the 2005-06 season without a pair of familiar faces in the backcourt, losing Ciara Henderson and Meskhenet Lands to graduation. The pair will be difficult to replace, as Henderson departed as the school's fifth all-time leading scorer (1,303 points) and leading three-point shooter (246 threes) and Lands left after scoring 1,091 points (14th all-time) and handing out 248 assists to rank 10th on the school's all-time chart.

Filling Up The Stat Sheet
Freshman guard/forward Jana Lucas has proven to be deserving of her spot in the starting lineup, giving the Ramblers a versatile performer who can do a number of things on both ends of the court. A small forward by trade who has seen most of her playing time in the backcourt with the injury to Mandy Mennella, Lucas still leads the team in rebounding (7.0 rpg) while pitching in 6.6 ppg (third on the team) and 2.0 apg. In addition, she is coming off the best game of her young career, posting a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards while adding five assists against UMBC.

Boarding School
One of the encouraging signs of the exhibition season was the way that Loyola pounded the backboards. In their two preseason games, Loyola outrebounded its opponents by an average of 19.0 rpg and its prowess on the glass has carried over to the regular season. The Ramblers matched the taller and more athletic Fighting Illini on the glass with 33 caroms apiece in the season opener and they have outrebounded all but one of their last four opponents (outrebounded by Robert Morris, 34-33). Despite its 0-5 start, Loyola leads the Horizon League in rebounding margin (+3.2 rpg), a much improved figure from its -5.2 rebounding margin last season.

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.

20-20-20 Club
Junior Marquise Hanser has exploded on the Horizon League scene during the first two weeks of the season, scoring at least 20 points in three of Loyola's first five games including a career-high 25-point outburst at Illinois State. After scoring 20 points in the opener prior to facing the Redbirds, 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. After settling for 15 points against Dayton, Hanser poured in 19 points before fouling out against Robert Morris and 23 more the following day against UMBC.

Trey Bien
One of Loyola's strengths over the last few years 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 school single-season record 175 trifectas in 2003-04 and have hit at least one three-pointer in 250 consecutive games dating back to March, 1996. After hitting just one on Saturday against Robert Morris (on only four attempts), LU busted out from the line on Sunday, drilling 10-of-19 from distance against UMBC. Junior Marquise Hanser has led the way from the perimeter thus far, knocking down 16-of-33 (.485) from beyond the arc (after hitting just 12 threes and shooting .197 from three-point land last season). As a team, the Ramblers lead the Horizon League in three-point percentage, drilling .436 of their attempts.

Loyola In The League
While games are not won and lost on the stat sheet, Loyola is putting up numbers that belie its 0-5 record. The Ramblers lead the Horizon League in both rebounding margin (+3.2) and three-point field goal percentage (.436) while ranking second on the circuit in overall field goal percentage (.423). However, turnovers have been LU's albatross all season and the Ramblers rank last in that category with 29.2 per game. Individually, Marquise Hanser leads the Horizon League in scoring (20.4 ppg) while also ranking in the top 12 in rebounding (12th), assists (9th), three-point field goals (2nd), three-point percentage (5th), steals (7th) and free throw percentage (4th).

Putting the "Point" Back In Point Guard
Senior point guard Mandy Mennella returned to the floor in a limited role over the weekend, giving the Ramblers a major lift. After failing to score in 19 minutes against Robert Morris, Mennella looked more like her old self on Sunday, drilling three from downtown, scoring 11 points and handing out her 200th career assist in 24 minutes against UMBC. The weekend marked her first regular season action since suffering a knee injury on Jan. 27, 2005 at Wright State, forcing her to miss LU's last 10 games.