Nov. 1, 2001
Stats
Los Angeles, Calif. (November 1, 2001)-- It was an interesting start for the Loyola Marymount University women's basketball team, as they coasted in the second half to a 81-50 win over an exhausted Slovakian team, Delta Kosice, at Gersten Pavilion on Thursday night in front of a crowd of 321.
Delta Kosice arrived in Los Angeles at 2 a.m. Wednesday morning after a grueling 50-hour trip from Italy that included two 10-hour layovers. In the process the airline lost the team's luggage, causing the team to borrow a set of the Lions old uniforms.
As for the Lions, they entered the game coming off one of their best seasons in school history, a 21-10 record and postseason appearance in the WNIT. The result was some what of a surprise in the first half, as the Lions led by a mere six points, 32-26.
The Lions seemed to struggle through preseason jitters, but recovered for a monster of a second half.
"We have to keep things in perspective," said Head Coach Julie Wilhoit of her teams 31-point win. "This gave us the opportunity to measure how we are as a team right now. Delta exposed some areas we really have to concentrate on. However, we picked it up in the second half, got the preseason jitters out of the way and played our style."
The Lions style of play resulted in a 49-24 advantage in the second half as the travels by the Slovakian team seemed to take its toll.
Junior Kate Murray had a solid game for the Lions, leading the team with 21 points. Also scoring in double figures was Adrianne Slaughter with 10, Rosa Bernasconi with 11 and Bryn Britton with 14. Slaughter also added eight blocks on the game, seven coming in the first half.
The Lions showed some rare depth, which they lacked at the end of last season down the stretch due to injuries. Eight players played more than 10 minutes and only Britton played 30 minutes.
"We showed that we are a very deep team," said Wilhoit, "if we can keep everyone healthy."
The Lions will begin the regular season in eight days when they take on Oregon State in the first round of the preseason NIT in Corvallis, OR, on Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on KLMU and on LMULions.com.
-GO LIONS-
