University of Albany Men's Basketball Travels to Chicago for First-Ever Meeting Against Loyola - UAlbany Sports 2009

Chicago, Ill. - UAlbany travels to Loyola (Chicago) for the first-ever meeting between the programs on Tuesday, Dec. 22. Tip-off is 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Fans can listen to the contest on Fox Sports Radio, AM 980, with Rodger Wyland handling the broadcast. The game can also be seen free of charge through the Horizon League, www.horizonleaguenetwork.tv/loyola.html.

Loyola (8-2) is off to its best 10-game start since the 2005-06 campaign. The Ramblers upended SIU-Edwardsville,79-61, for their fourth straight win on Sunday, Dec. 20. Head coach Jim Whitesell is in his sixth season with the program. He has a 365-272 career record at the collegiate level. Whitesell has led Loyola to its lone 20-win season since 1985, a win over No. 15 Butler last year and the program's first victory over a Southeastern Conference opponent (Georgia) since 1964. Terrance Hill, a junior who transferred from Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, is the team's leading scorer at 12.4 points per game. Hill earned first-team all-region honors last year. Walt Gibler, a 6'7" sophomore, adds 11.7 points off the bench. Geoff McCammon is the third Loyola player scoring in double figures with a 10.2 average. He had a team-high 21 points, on 9-of-13 shooting, in a 66-63 win over San Francisco on Dec. 12. Marcus Thomas is scoring at an 9.0 clip and has made 23 three-point field goals. Andy Polka, at 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, contributes 7.0 points and a team-leading 9.7 rebounds.

UAlbany (4-8) is nearing the end of a string of eight consecutive road games, the longest in the school's Division I history. Will Harris is averaging 18.4 points and shooting 56.5 percent from the field over his last seven starts. Tim Ambrose, a 6-foot junior, adds 15.7 points and 5.3 rebounds. Ambrose has an eight-game, double-figure scoring streak. Brett Gifford, a 6'11" senior, has put together solid back-to-back efforts, including a nine-point, five-rebound outing against Iona on Dec. 17. Senior guard Mike Johnson contributes 8.6 points and 3.5 assists.