Dec. 9, 2005

CHICAGO -

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Today's Game
Loyola aims for its first win of the season this afternoon when it takes on Indiana State at the Gentile Center. The Ramblers, who seem to be getting more and more comfortable in the new system instituted by first-year head coach Shannon Reidy, will be tested by the Sycamores, winners of five of their first seven games. Indiana State put five players in double figures in an impressive 74-56 win over Toledo on Wednesday night in Terre Haute.

All-Time Series
This afternoon is the fourth meeting between the two schools, with Loyola winning two of the previous three encounters. The teams have not met since Nov. 29, 1997, when the Ramblers escaped with a 63-62 (OT) win at the Gentile Center. The Sycamores' only win in the series came the previous year when they rolled to an 85-61 win over LU in Terre Haute, Ind. Indiana State is already 2-0 against the Horizon League this season with wins over UW-Green Bay (98-59) and Butler (85-72) while the Ramblers are 0-2 against Missouri Valley competition this season, losing to Illinois State and Bradley.

Head Coach Shannon Reidy
First-year head coach Shannon Reidy has 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 shown her versatility in the early going, giving the Ramblers a little bit of everything on both ends of the court. A small forward by trade who has seen most of her time in the backcourt with the injury to Mandy Mennella, Lucas leads the team and is tied for fourth in the Horizon League in rebounding (6.0 rpg) while pitching in 5.4 ppg and 2.0 apg. Lucas recorded the first double-double of her young career against UMBC, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Good On The Glass
One of the encouraging signs of the earlygoing has been the way Loyola has worked the glass. In its two preseason games, Loyola outrebounded its opponents by an average of 19.0 rpg and it proved to be a harbinger for the regular season. The Ramblers matched the taller and more athletic Fighting Illini on the glass with 33 caroms apiece and have outrebounded all but one opponent (outrebounded by Robert Morris, 34-33) this season. Despite the 0-7 start, the Ramblers lead the Horizon League in rebounding margin (+3.6 rpg) and are, in fact, the only League team to have a positive rebounding margin.

Hanser's Hot Start
Junior Marquise Hanser has exploded on the Horizon League scene during the first couple weeks of the season, scoring at least 20 points in three of Loyola's first seven gmaes, including a career-high 25-point outburst at Illinois State. By scoring 20 points in the opener against Illinois, the game prior to the ISU game, 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.

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.

Trey Bien
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 252 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. For the season, the Ramblers rank third in the Horizon League, shooting .356 from the arc as a team.

Loyola In The League
While games are not won and lost on the stat sheet, Loyola is putting up numbers that belie its 0-7 record. The Ramblers lead the league in rebounding margin (+3.6 rpg), one of the traditional measuring sticks for success, and are in the middle-of-the-pack or better in field goal percentage (6th, .395), three-point field goal percentage (3rd, .356) and free throw percentage (3rd, .708). Loyola ranks dead last in turnovers, averaging 28 miscues per game, however, they committed a season-low 18 turnovers last time out against Bradley.

Boost In The Backcourt
Loyola has received a big boost with the return of senior point guard Mandy Mennella to the lineup. Mennella missed the last 10 games after tearing her ACL last season and missed the first three games this season with a different leg injury. However, she seems to be rounding into form at the right time and she is coming off her best, and longest, outing of the season last time out against Bradley, when she pumped in 12 points (4-8 FGs, 3-6 3FGs) in 30 minutes of action. Perhaps more importantly, Mennella's presence gives the Ramblers another ball-handler, as LU essentially played the first three games with only one guard (Hanser) on the active roster.

Valuing The Orange
Despite the solid rebounding and the play of Marquise Hanser and others in the early going, Loyola has been undone by turnovers. The Ramblers have averaged 28.0 turnovers a game in their first seven outings, many of them of the unforced variety, as they have rarely translated into steals and easy hoops. Loyola took a step in the right direction against Bradley, turning it over a season-low 18 times which led to a 56-55 edge in field goal attempts, the first time this season the Ramblers have attempted more shots than their opponent.

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.