Thursday, February 28th, 8:00 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: U.S. Cellular Arena (10,783) -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Television: None. Home Record: Loyola 8-6, UWM 8-6. Away Record: Loyola 3-10, UWM 5-8. Neutral Record: Loyola 0-0, UWM 0-0. Conference Record: Loyola 6-10, UWM 8-8. Series Record: Wisconsin-Milwaukee leads, 20-17.

GAME NOTES: The Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers continue their three-game homestand tonight, as they host the Loyola-Chicago Rambles in Horizon League play at U.S. Cellular Arena. The Panthers kicked off their homestand on Monday, dropping a 66-57 decision to Valparaiso. It was the third straight loss and the sixth in the past seven games for UWM, which has fell to 13-14 overall and an even 8-8 in conference play. The Panthers will wrap up their home swing with a bout against Illinois-Chicago in their regular season finale on Saturday. As for Loyola, it has won its last two outings following a losing streak of three games. On Saturday, the Ramblers stepped out of league play and downed William & Mary, 71-66, in a BracketBuster event. Now at 11-16 overall, Loyola heads back into HL play, where it has gone just 6-10 thus far. In terms of the all- time series, UWM owns a 20-17 edge over Loyola, but the Ramblers captured a 73-68 victory in overtime earlier this season.

The Ramblers shot 44.0 percent from the field, including an impressive 12- of-23 effort from long range, as they defeated William & Mary over the weekend. Tracy Robinson drained 4-of-8 three-pointers and he finished with 20 points and eight assists for Loyola, while Justin Cerasoli had 18 points off the bench. J.R. Blount also got involved, posting 16 points and four boards in the triumph. For the season, Blount tops the roster in scoring (14.8 ppg) despite shooting just 38.5 percent from the floor. Cerasoli chips in with 10.8 ppg, and Robinson fills out the double-digit scorers with 10.1 ppg. Overall, the Ramblers are averaging just 62.0 ppg mainly because of their dismal 27.9 percent shooting from three-point range for the season.

The Panthers shot a horrific 26.8 percent from the floor and that included a poor 7-of-32 showing from downtown, as they were dropped by Valpo on Monday. The team also lost the battle on the boards, 44-34, in the setback. Jason Averkamp came off the bench to lead UWM with 21 points, while Paige Paulsen was limited to just four points and four boards. Despite the lackluster performance, Paulsen still leads the Panthers in both scoring (13.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg) for the season. He is also shooting 41.7 percent from long distance for UWM, which is generating 67.9 ppg as a team this season.

UWM has struggled of late, but with a big rebound effort from Paulsen, it should be able to get back into the win column tonight.

Predicted Outcome

Wisconsin-Milwaukee 67, Loyola-Chicago 62