CHICAGO – After having its three-game winning streak snapped at Missouri State, the Illinois State men's basketball team will try to bounce back when the Redbirds play at Loyola Wednesday, Feb. 3 for a 7 p.m. game at Gentile Arena. The Redbirds are aiming to sweep the regular-season series following a 54-52 victory over the Ramblers (Jan. 6).
ILLINOIS STATE AT LOYOLA • WEDNESDAY, FEB. 3, 2016 • 7 P.M. CT
THE SERIES:
Wednesday's game marks the 16th meeting between Illinois State and Loyola. ISU leads the all-time series, 11-4, with the Redbirds winning three-straight and seven of the last eight. Versus the Ramblers, ISU is 4-3 in Chicago and 2-1 at Gentile Arena. Head Coach Dan Muller is 4-1 against Loyola and 1-1 at Gentile Arena.
THE COACHES:
Illinois State: Dan Muller (Illinois State, 1998) is in his fourth season as the head coach at Illinois State (70-55). Muller is the first coach in ISU history to beat three Top-25 teams in his first three seasons.
Loyola: Porter Moser (Creighton, 1990) is in his fifth season as the head coach at Loyola (66-86). Moser, who was Illinois State's head coach from 2003-07, led LU to the 2015 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) title.
ABOUT ILLINOIS STATE:
Picked to finish fourth (out of 10 teams) in the Missouri Valley Conference ... return three of five starters and six of 13 letterwinners from last year's team, which went 22-13 overall, advancing to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) ... tied for third place in the 2014-15 MVC standings (11-7) ... feature MVC preseason team selection DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell ... started the MVC season 3-0 for the first time since 2008-09.
ABOUT LOYOLA:
Picked to finish fifth (out of 10 teams) in the Missouri Valley Conference ... return four of five starters and nine of 12 letterwinners from last year's team, which recorded a 24-13 overall record and an 8-10 MVC mark (sixth place) ... feature preseason honorable mention All-MVC selection Milton Doyle who is averaging a 11.4 points per game ... won the 2015 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) and earned 24 wins for the first time since 1985.
UP NEXT: Saturday, Feb. 6 vs. Wichita State: 9 p.m. CT on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
PREVIOUS GAME (L, 84-81 (OT) - JAN. 30, 2016 AT MISSOURI STATE)
A 3-pointer by Missouri State's Dequon Miller with three seconds remaining in regulation tied the game to force overtime where MSU overcame Illinois State's early seven-point advantage by outscoring the Redbirds, 12-2, through the final 2:46 of OT to secure an 84-81 victory over the visiting Redbirds in Missouri Valley Conference play at JQH Arena. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell led the Redbirds in scoring and rebounding, netting 18 points while collecting nine rebounds. The Redbirds shot 47.6 percent from the field.
FIRST MEETING (W, 54-52 - JAN. 6, 2016 VS. LOYOLA)
The Illinois State men's basketball team was in danger of losing a seven-point lead with less than a minute to go, but Nick Banyard blocked the potential game-tying shot with two seconds left to give ISU a 54-52 win over Loyola on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. The win gave ISU a 3-0 record in the Missouri Valley Conference for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
WINNING IN THE WINDY CITY
During Illinois State head coach Dan Muller's tenure, the Redbirds have earned a 4-1 record when playing in the Chicagoland area: W, 68-64, at Northwestern (Nov. 17, 2013); L, 79-69, at Loyola (Feb. 9, 2014); W, 78-72, at DePaul (Dec. 14, 2014); W, 48-45, at Loyola (Jan. 31, 2015); W, 72-60, at Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 16, 2015). Muller and the Redbirds are also a combined 8-2 versus Chicagoland teams (Chicago State: 1-0; DePaul: 2-0; Northwestern: 1-1; Loyola: 4-1). ISU has typically drawn quality crowds when playing in the Windy City, as Chicago is home to nearly 30 percent of ISU's alumni and 40 percent of its student body.
FORCING STOPS
Despite dropping an overtime decision at Missouri State (Jan. 30), Illinois State held its own defensively, teaming up to force a season-high 11 steals while matching a season best with eight blocks. The Redbirds' 11 steals were ISU's most since recording 12 versus Green Bay last season (March 18, 2015).
LOST LEADS
In three of Illinois State's four Missouri Valley Conference losses this season, and in four defeats overall, the Redbirds have led by nine or more points. ISU most recently lost a nine-point advantage at Missouri State (Jan. 30). Illinois State also gave up 13 and 12-point leads versus Indiana State (Jan. 9) and Southern Illinois (Jan. 12), respectively.
DEFENSIVE DISCIPLINE
In seven of Illinois State's 10 Missouri Valley Conference games this season, the Redbirds have limited opponents below their season scoring average at the time. ISU is 6-1 when accomplishing this feat.
SOPHOMORE STANDOUT
Sophomore forward MiKyle McIntosh has increased his offensive productivity in Missouri Valley Conference play, averaging 12.4 points per game against league foes compared to 9.8 points per game during the non-conference season. McIntosh has averaged a team-best 16.4 points through Illinois State's last six contests, netting 16 or more points in five of the last seven games. The Pickering, Ontario, native has scored a career-high 25 points twice this season, most recently with an 8-for-11 shooting performance from the field in ISU's win over Drake (Jan. 26). He also netted 25 points at Southern Illinois (Jan. 12).
McCLOUD'S MAKES
In Illinois State's last three contests, senior guard Justin McCloud has averaged 12.0 points per game, a dramatic increase from his season average of 3.6 points per game. He scored in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time in his career, netting 12 points, shooting 4-for-7 from three-point range, in Illinois State's win over Drake (Jan. 26). He was also instrumental in ISU's victory against Northern Iowa (Jan. 23), netting a season-high 15 points while matching a career high with five 3-pointers on 5-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
THREE MACHINE
Sophomore forward Deontae Hawkins has shot 8-for-10 from three-point range in Illinois State's last two games versus Drake (Jan. 26) and at Missouri State (Jan. 30).
DOUBLE-DIGIT DeVAUGHN
Senior guard DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell reached double figures in ISU's first 20 games of the season before being held to seven points versus Northern Iowa (Jan. 23). Dating back to last season, Akoon-Purcell has scored in double figures in 29 of the last 31 games. He has recorded 20 or more points four times in 2015-16 and is averaging 14.9 points (seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference) and 4.9 rebounds per contest (15th in the MVC). Akoon-Purcell has led ISU in scoring 12 times this season, most recently scoring a team-high 18 points at Missouri State (Jan. 30).
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