Feb. 12, 2002

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QUICKLY
It has been a tough stretch for the Loyola Marymount University men's basketball team, who will look to break a seven-game skid in its final regular season road trip of the season. It won't be easy as the Lions open the trip with the eighth-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs on Thursday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. The Lions will then head to Portland to face the Pilots on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 7:05 p.m.

MAKING THEM COUNT
Senior Greg Lakey is making the most of his final season of collegiate basketball as he leads the Lions in scoring with 11.5 points per game (ranked 14th in WCC), pushing that average to 12.5 in conference play . He has continued to be near flawless from the free throw line, leading the West Coast Conference hitting 89.9 percent. After starting the season 3-for-6 in the Lions' first three games from the line, Lakey has missed only six free throws in the last 21 games. He is 71-of-79 on the season, ranked 24th in the nation. According to STATS, Inc., Lakey's improvement at the free throw line from his junior to senior seasons is one of the best in the country. He finished 2000-01 hitting 73.2 percent and his 16.7 percent improvement this season is fifth best in the country. He also leads the team in rebounds with more than 5.7 per game (7th in the WCC).

STREAKING IN CONFERENCE
Sophomore Kent Dennis has also enjoyed play in the West Coast Conference. Since conference games began, the guard from Los Angeles, Calif., is second behind senior Greg Lakey for the team lead in scoring, averaging 11.7 points per game. Dennis, who had 15 against Saint Mary', has now scored double figures in all but two conference game this season. Dennis has been doing it from long distance, hitting 39 three-pointers on 106 attempts (36.8 percent) on the season, 18-of-59 in conference play (30.5 percent). He is fourth overall on the team in scoring, averaging 9.4 points per game.

CHARITY STRIPE
Giving LMU a free trip to the charity stripe has been a dangerous proposition for opponents this season. To date, the Lions as a team are on pace to become the best free throw shooting team in LMU history. The school record is 75.5 percent set by the 1968 team and after 24 games of the 2001-02 season, LMU is hitting 77.7 percent (372-473) on the season. As of Feb. 11, the Lions were ranked second in the nation from the free throw line and tops in the conference. Morehead State leads the nation, who is 79.7 from the free throw line. The jump in the free throw shooting ranks the Lions as one of the best, improving almost 10 percent from the 2000-01 season to this season.

TOUGH STRETCH
It has been a tough stretch for the Lions, who find themselves in an offensive drought. During the last seven games the Lions are averaging just 61.9 points per game on 35.4 percent shooting from the field. Only Greg Lakey and Kent Dennis are in double figures, averaging 12.7 and 12.4 points per game, respectively. No other Lion is above nine points per game. During the stretch, Lion opponents are hitting 43 percent from the three-point line and are outrebounding the Lions 9.3 rebounds per game. It won't get any easier, as the Lions will face their highest ranked opponent since they played seventh-ranked Oklahoma on Dec. 23, 1989 at Gersten Pavilion.

INJURIES
The second leading scorer and the team's third best rebounder, sophomore Keith Kincade, suffered a severe left ankle sprain against Pepperdine on Wednesday. He is expected not to play this weekend.

RESTORING THE ROAR
In only his second season as head coach, Steve Aggers continues to mark milestones for the Lions. LMU has marked the most lopsided win against a Division I opponent with the 18-point win over Sacramento State and against any division opponent with the 26-point win against Occidental in five seasons. With the early-season success, LMU has taken hold of the 'Team First' approach. Since he became the Lions' 22nd head coach in April 2000, Aggers has taken the program from an RPI ranking of #314 and in the middle of the Lions' three-game win streak from Dec. 2 through Dec. 8 the Lions found themselves with their highest RPI ranking in more than nine years at #76. Going back even further in the record books, the Lions are on pace to have the highest average attendance at Gersten Pavilion since the 1992-93 season. LMU has had the two best crowds in six seasons with the 3,342 against Gonzaga and the 3,158 against USC on Dec. 22...More stats for the Lions: When scoring more than 70 points, the Lions have a 8-2 record and are 8-3 when leading at halftime. At the defensive end, when limiting opponents to less than 70 points the Lions are a perfect 5-1.

BALANCE
The Lions offensive attack has been balanced throughout the non-conference season, having three or more players score in double figures in 16 of the Lions' 24 games. In the two conference wins (Saint Mary's and Portland), the Lions had four players score 10 or more points. At Saint Mary's, four players were in double figures, with senior Greg Lakey and sophomore Keith Kincade scoring 14, followed by senior Eurskine Robinson with 13 and senior Marcus Smith with 12. In the win against Portland, which mark the Lions' first back-to-back conference victories since 1998-99, Lakey joined sophomore Kent Dennis to lead the team with 14 points, while sophomore Sherman Gay had 13 and freshman Andy Osborn had 12. They had five do it in the rematch against Pepperdine, with senior Robert Davis scoring 18, followed by Lakey with 17, senior Eurskine Robinson with 13, Osborn with 13 and Dennis with 10. This season the Lions have had three games with five players scoring in double figures (Long Beach State, Sacramento State and Pepperdine), four games with four players with 10 or more points (Samford, Mississippi Valley State, Saint Mary's, and Portland) and eight with three players in double figures. On the season 10 players have earned double digits in a game, and Dennis became the eighth player to lead the team in scoring with his 14 against Portland. Lakey leads the team with 16 games in double figures, followed by Robert Davis with 12. Osborn and Dennis have 11 games in double digits, followed by Kincade with 10. Smith and Robinson are next with four, Gay with three, and senior Sean Mollins and freshman Charles Brown each have one.

SUBS, PLEASE!
The Lions have proven this season they are a much deeper team than in years past, as evident by the bench scoring. It continued as the Lions started conference play, outscoring San Francisco 27-6, Portland 31-16 and Santa Clara 23-13 off the bench. As the Lions closed non-conference play, a 81-55 win over Occidental and 90-78 loss to Portland State, the Lions bench was at it again. The bench scored 49 points to just 20 for the Tigers and 29 to seven against the Vikings. In other games this season, LMU's bench outscored Long Beach State 39-22. Seniors Robert Davis and Sean Mollins, combined with sophomores Sherman Gay and Kent Dennis to score all 39 bench points, with Davis, Mollins and Gay hitting for 10 points each. In the first half, they combined for 26 of the Lions' 33 first half points. The bench output continues a trend for the Lions, who outscored UNLV 31-19 and had their best outing against UC Santa Barbara, outscoring the Gauchos 41-14 in the 77-70 win on Dec. 5. On the season, the Lions' subs have outscored the opponent's bench in 12 games, combining for 610 points to the opponents' 506.

THE SIXTH MAN
Senior Robert Davis was asked to take the role of the Lions sixth-man against Texas A&M. His role off the bench has been enhanced by his experience, scoring in double figures in eight games as the sixth man. However, his emotional leadership put him back in the starting line-up, earning the start in the Lions last three games, averaging 13 points per game to lead the Lions in scoring in that stretch. Davis is the only third-year Lion on the court, starting his career with LMU as a freshman in 1998-99, playing in 26 of 28 games and averaging 7.1 points per game. After spending his sophomore season at Chandler Gilbert Community College in Arizona, he returned to the program in Head Coach Steve Aggers' first season. In his return, Davis became the Lions' leading scorer with a 11.9 average, giving him 517 points in his career at LMU. He had 19 games scoring 10 or more points, and with his nine as a freshman, he entered the 2001-02 season with 28 games scoring in double figures. His 12 this season give him 40 in his career. Much of Davis' scoring has been from behind the arch, hitting 46 three-pointers in 2000-01. Davis finds himself sneaking into the all-time record books at LMU in made three-pointers. His 81 career three-pointers heading into the 2001-02 season was tied with Per Stumer for 10th all-time at LMU. His 19 in 2001-02 give him 100 in his career. The record of 363 by Jeff Fryer may never be touched, but Davis needs 6 to move into a four-way tie for seventh all-time with 106. Craig Holt (1991-92), Jim Williamson (1994-97) and Willie Allen (1995-99) all sit at 106.

THE THREE Ws
With wins against Texas A&M, UC Santa Barbara and Sacramento State, the Lions earned their first three-game winning streak since 1998-99. During the three victories, the Lions put up some impressive numbers. Six players averaged more than 10 points, with senior Robert Davis leading the way with 13.3 points in the three wins. He was followed by Kent Dennis (12.7), Keith Kincade (11.3), Andy Osborn (11.0), Eurskine Robinson (10.7) and Greg Lakey (10.7). Further showing their balanced 'Team First' style, all 11 players in uniform scored and earned an assist in the winning streak. As a team they shot 50 percent from the field (81-for-162), 44 percent from the three-point line (18-for-41) and an amazing 88 percent from the free throw line (72-for-82). They outscored their opponents 84.0 to 75.0.

ROAD TOUGH
LMU went on the road to the Big 12 Conference for the second straight year, taking on Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. The Lions showed its toughness with an exciting 80-78 win over the Aggies on Dec. 2. The victory becomes the third win over teams that currently makeup the Big 12 and the first on the road. The last win came against Colorado, 80-71, in Gersten Pavilion in 1985. All-time the Lions are 3-11 against the Big 12, earning the other win in a neutral site game against Oklahoma in 1967.

THE HOT HAND
In the Lions 80-78 win over Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, LMU finished the game hitting 33-of-53 shots for a shooting percentage of 62.3 percent. It was the first time the Lions finished hitting more than 60 percent from the field since 1996 when they hit 30-of-49 (.612) in a 76-64 win over Cal Poly on Jan. 23. It was the highest shooting percentage since the Lions hit 44-of-65 for an amazing 67.6 percent in a 137-123 win over San Francisco on Feb. 9, 1990. There is more hot shooting for the Lions. They finished the win over the Aggies hitting an even better 63.6 percent (7-for-11) from the three-point line. It is the highest since the Lions hit 69.2 percent against UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 28, 1994.

KNOCKING OFF THE RUST
Sophomore Keith Kincade has been slowly knocking off the rust from the redshirt year he served last season after he transferred from West Virginia. Kincade has continued to improve, becoming a consistent starter for the Lions (the last 17 games). He averages 10.0 points per game, ranked second on the team. His 27 points against Portland State was a career-high for Kincade, the single game-high for the Lions this season.

SENIOR CAPTAIN
Senior Eurskine Robinson helped the Lions to a three-game win streak for the first time since 1998-99. During the win streak, which included wins over UC Santa Barbara and Sacramento State, Robinson would have his best pair of games as a Lion. Against the Gauchos, who have been picked by many to win the Big West Conference title, Robinson had a career-high game, scoring a career best 18 points, grabbing eight rebounds, one shy of a career-high, and dishing out four assists to just one turnover in 28 minutes. In the win he was deadly from the charity stripe, hitting all 12 attempts. Against Sacramento State, he would lead the Lions to their most lopsided win over a NCAA Division I opponent at home since a 23-point win over San Diego on Jan. 30, 1998. Robinson would finish perfect from the field and again perfect from the free throw line to finish with eight points. He would start the season 30-for-30 from the free throw line and would set the LMU all-time school record for consecutive free throws with 35, which started against Portland on Feb. 17, 2001. He broke Terrell Lowery's record of 32 set in 1990. Robinson would extend his free-throw streak to 36 against UNLV before missing on his second attempt. He finished 2-for-3 against the Runnin' Rebels. On the season he is 89.4 percent from the free throw line, second best in the WCC. He is sixth in the WCC with 3.79 assists per game, including a career-high eight assists against San Francisco. He has 91 on the season.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Freshman Andy Osborn began his collegiate career with one of the greatest debuts of any freshman at LMU. His first three games at LMU earned him Player of the Week honors by the West Coast Conference for the week of Nov. 12. He started with 14 points and five rebounds in the loss to Samford, and then followed it with an even better performance in the win against Mississippi Valley State. The Longmont, Colo., native had 10 points and 10 rebounds at halftime to record his first collegiate double-double. He finished the game with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, 12 rebounds and two assists. His double-double makes him only the ninth freshman in LMU history to achieve such a feat. He becomes the quickest to ever earn a double-double, getting it in only his second game as a Lion. He was at it again against UC Irvine, scoring what was then a career-high 18 points and adding 10 rebounds for his second double-double. He earned his third with 12 points and 11 rebounds against Portland, breaking the all-time freshman record held by Luther Philyaw. More on Osborn....He set his career-high with a quiet 19 points against Sacramento State. After 24 games, he is second on the team with 5.3 rebounds per game and is third in scoring with 9.8 points per game.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Loyola Marymount University men's basketball team has been invited to the 2002 Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout, as the University of Alaska Anchorage announced the eight-team field during its annual Tip-off Luncheon on Nov. 21. The 25th annual college basketball event is scheduled for Nov. 27-30 at Sullivan Arena and will include some of the top names in college basketball. Joining the Lions, who will make their first trip to Alaska, are host Alaska-Anchorage, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Northern Arizona, Oklahoma State, Villanova and Wyoming. The Lions will be the second straight representative from the West Coast Conference, as Gonzaga concluded the 2001 Shootout with a runner-up finish. The Bulldogs lost in the championship game to Marquette over the Thanksgiving weekend. "This is a great opportunity for our program," said Head Coach Steve Aggers. "For us to continue to improve our program, we have to attract the top players. To get the players, we have to play and compete against the best in the country. The Great Alaska Shootout does that for us."

THE PAVILION TURNS 20
The Lions' home opener on Nov. 17 against Idaho State was the beginning of the 20th season of basketball at Gersten Pavilion. Opening on Jan. 15, 1981, the men's basketball team has set many records, including several national NCAA records. More memorable moments in Gersten's history include the Lions' 16-game winning streak from Feb. 28, 1987 through Nov. 28, 1988. Gersten is also the home of the all-time NCAA Division I highest scoring game, a 186-140 win by the Lions over US International on Jan. 5, 1991.

WCC TURNS 50
With the basketball season getting underway for West Coast Conference teams this weekend, the WCC celebrates its 50th anniversary. The league's current membership consists of eight private institutions (Gonzaga, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara) and has grown from just a men's basketball conference to now sponsoring 13 sports that compete on a national level. For five decades, the league has been driven by student-athletes with the common goal of academic excellence and athletic achievement. The league was founded in 1952 in an effort to create a convenient way for five Bay Area schools to play basketball. The five charter members, including Saint Mary's, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Pacific and San Jose State, joined together 50 years ago to form the California Basketball Association, beginning play on January 2, 1953. The league expanded in 1955 to include Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine and changed the conference name to the West Coast Athletic Conference in 1956. The name was shortened to West Coast Conference in 1989. The WCC has had 15 different schools as a part of its 50-year tradition, but the conference has stood proudly with the same eight member institutions since 1979. With the same membership for 22 years, the West Coast Conference is one of the most stable leagues in the nation, with only the Ivy League and Pac-10 retaining its membership for a longer period of time.

BRIGHT FUTURE
Loyola Marymount University men's basketball coach Steve Aggers announced the signing of four high school seniors to National Letters of Intent. John Haywood, Brandon Worthy, Chris Ayer and Wes Wardrop will don Lion uniforms during the 2002-2003 season. "This summer we set out to find three quality perimeter players and a true center," said Aggers, who is in his second season at the helm of the Lions. "To improve in the WCC, our staff felt getting bigger on the perimeter and having a true low post threat were critical elements for future success. These four young men meet our objectives and are high caliber students who will contribute to the LMU community for four years." John Haywood is a 6-6, 200-pound wing from Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, California. Averaging 14 points and seven rebounds as a junior, Haywood led his high school team to a 20-9 record and a quarter-final finish in last years CIF southern section playoffs. An All-Del Rey League performer, Haywood was also tabbed a pre-season Street and Smith's All American honorable mention selection. Haywood has participated in the Los Angeles Rockfish organization under the direction of Dave Benezra. Brandon Worthy, from San Jose, California is a 6-2, 195-pound guard. As a freshman at Archbishop Mitty High School he averaged 19.5 points earning CIF Central Section Freshman of the Year honors. In his sophomore campaign, Worthy improved to 21.5 points, 8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and three steals while leading his team to the CIF Central Section Championship and being named the CIF Central Section Sophomore of the Year. Both seasons his team won 17 games and he was named first-team all-league. Worthy sat out his junior season after transferring to Mount Pleasant High School in accordance with CIF rules. He was also ranked among the top 120 players nationally by SchoolSports.com. Measuring 6-11 and weighing 250-pounds, Chris Ayer comes to LMU from Flowing Wells High School in Tucson, Arizona. As a junior under Flowing Wells coach David Verdugo, Ayer averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocks per game. He has over 300 blocked shots in his high school career leading his team to 38 wins over the past two seasons, two Arizona state playoff appearances, one 5A south regional championship game and while receiving a nomination for the McDonald's All-American Team. He is ranked as one of the top 25 players in the western United States by PrepWestHoops.com, the #4 center in the West and one of the top two players in Arizona. Ayer is deciding between engineering and animation as a major. At 6-3, 195-pounds, Wes Wardrop is a native of Anaheim, California. He attended Loara High School prior to transferring to Worcester Academy in Massachusetts. Worcester competes in the "#1 ranked prep school basketball league in America" according to the Recruiters Handbook. Wardrop is a strong, physical guard who averaged 15 points, 5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3 steals as a junior. Worcester went 17-7 last season with Wardrop voted one of 15 All-New England team selections. ESPN.com and RecruitingUSA.com both ranked Wardrop as one of the top 100 high school seniors nationally after this July's evaluation period. In the off-season he plays for Dave Benezra's Los Angeles Rockfish organization with John Haywood.

Game Capsules

GAME #23 - Saint Mary's 62, LMU 44
The Loyola Marymount University (LMU) men's basketball team struggled from the beginning in a 62-44 defeat to Saint Mary's in a West Coast Conference game on Friday night at Gersten Pavilion. The Lions (9-14, 2-7) struggles from the field continued as they finished hitting just 34 percent for the game. The shooting woes extended the Lion's season-high losing streak to six. The Gaels (7-15, 2-7) won back-to-back conference games for the first time since 1998, as they finished shooting 48 percent from the field, including 65.2 percent in the first half. "Have to give credit to Saint Mary's," said Head Coach Steve Aggers. "They were well coached, worked hard and were clearly the aggressor tonight. We were not prepared to play tonight. I take full responsibility for that. I don't know the answers at this point." In addition to the shooting, the Gaels turned the game in their favor on the glass. They finished the game outrebounding the Lions 46 to 21, including 13 offensive rebounds. Sophomore Chase Poole led the Gaels with seven rebounds in the first half and finished with a double-double, grabbing 12 rebounds and scoring 14 points. "Credit to their performance," said Aggers. "They went up 12 to 2 and set the tone. You can't play catch up to a team that control the tempo like Saint Mary's did tonight." Sophomore Kent Dennis led the Lions with 15 points but had no support as the Lions failed to score more than 64 points for the fifth time in the last six games. Saint Mary's jumped out to a 39-21 lead as the Lions started the game 0-for-10 from the field in the first nine minutes. It was the lowest total points for the Lions since they scored just 38 against San Diego on Jan. 14, 2000.

GAME #24 - USF 80, LMU 67
The struggles for the Loyola Marymount University (LMU) men's basketball team continue as they fell 80-67 to San Francisco. In front of a homecoming crowd of 2,615, the Lions dropped their seventh straight and fall to 9-15 and 2-8 in the WCC. The Dons improve to 12-11 and 7-3. Once again shooting woes have put a strangle hold on the Lions offense as they finished the game shooting just 39 from the field. It is the sixth time in seven games the Lions failed to shoot over 40 percent. The Dons, meanwhile, finished hitting 45 percent from the field, including a torrid pace to start the first half. The Dons took the homecoming crowd out of the game early, hitting nine of 16 three-pointers in the first half to take a 45-29 lead into the lockerroom at the half. For the game the Dons finished with a season-high 10 three-pointers. John Cox, Shamell Stallworth and Tayo Akinsete each had three from long distance to pace USF, who had five players in double figures. "What really hurt us was the three-point shooting," said Head Coach Steve Aggers. "We did a good job with a zone to start the game. They got some good looks at the basket and made their shoots. They really shot the ball well tonight." USF was led by Cox, who had 19 points. Stallworth finished with 17, while center Hondre Brewer scored 16, Darrell Tucker added 14 and Akinsete had 10. While the Dons would finish 10-for-20 (50 percent) from long range, the Lions would struggle from the three-point line, hitting just 4-of-20 (20 percent). Senior Robert Davis had a pair of threes, finishing with 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Freshman Andy Osborn broke out of a scoring slump to pace the Lions with 17 points and seven rebounds. Despite the efforts on the glass by Osborn and Davis, the Lions were outrebounded 41-38. USF was led by Tucker with nine boards and Cox with eight. Tucker, who averages 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, was held under his average thanks to the Lions' zone defense and the efforts of Sean Mollins off the bench. "We started the game in zone and did a good job in containing Tucker," said Aggers. "I want to compliment Sean Mollins on his effort tonight. It was a pleasure to see him battle a potential pro player in Tucker. He was very inspirational and sometimes all it takes is one guy to pick up the rest of his teammates." Mollins, who had strep throat and a 100-degree fevor late this week, finished with four points and five rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.