Jan. 23, 2004
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Briefly
The Lions swept their West Coast Conference home opening weekend, defeating both San Diego and Santa Clara last weekend in Gersten Pavilion. LMU sits in second place in the West Coast Conference standings, tied with Gonzaga at 3-1 in conference play. The Lions have won three consecutive WCC contests, the best conference streak since 2001 when the squad twice won four straight WCC games.
Up Next: Pepperdine Waves (8-9, 2-2 WCC)
LMU takes its three game winning streak to Malibu, as the Lions face Pepperdine in Saturday's 5:00 p.m. crosstown clash. Fox Sports Net will broadcast the contest. The game will test LMU's conference-best 12 wins against the defending WCC champion Waves. LMU is one of just two conference teams to have a winning record on the road this season. The Waves own the all time series with the Lions 36-8, but LMU took the 2002 match-up in Firestone Fieldhouse by eight points. The squads have three opponents in common: UC Riverside, Portland, and Gonzaga. Both teams defeated UC Riverside and fell to Gonzaga. But the Lions took care of Portland, while Pepperdine fell 84-68 to the Pilots. The Waves are led by Shandrika Lee, who averages 10.8 points per game for Pepperdine.
Among the Nation's Best
Seniors Kate Murray and Adrianne Slaughter rank among the nation's best in this week's NCAA statistical rankings. Murray ranks eighth in the nation in free throw percentage, shooting 88.9 percent from the charity stripe this season. Slaughter's 1.9 blocks per game are good for the 44th ranking in the nation.
At Her Best Against The Best
Adrianne Slaughter holds the conference season-best mark for blocks per game, tallying five blocks in a December home game. Her five blocks came against the now-No. 1 ranked team in the country, Duke.
Hot WCC Streak
After defeating Portland (58-50), San Diego (63-52), and Santa Clara (69-52) all by a minimum of eight points, the Lions are on a three game WCC winning streak. The streak is a conference best for the Lions since LMU defeated four WCC teams in a row twice during the 2000-01 season. In 2001, LMU took care of Saint Mary's (73-68), San Francisco (76-70, Portland (66-65), and Gonzaga (62-58) in consecutive games. After dropping a six point game to Santa Clara next, the Lions turned it around for a second four game streak, dropping San Diego (64-42), Gonzaga (60-37), Portland (70-52), and San Francisco (74-51).
WCC Block Party
Senior Adrianne Slaughter took over the fourth place ranking on the WCC's all-time block leaders, making her the fourth-leading shot blocker in the history of the WCC. With 210 career blocks, Slaughter passed Santa Clara's Annie Garrison's 207 blocks for the fourth spot. If Slaughter averages just under two blocks per game for the rest of the season, she could take over the third place spot by reaching 228 career blocks. She would then still trail one Lion, Tricia Gibson (1998-92), who tallied 280 blocks in her LMU career.
Program Record Watch
Senior Adrianne Slaughter will become LMU's all-time leader in career rebounds with just 11 more rebounds. Kate Murray also continues to climb LMU's all-time career statistical rankings, moving into seventh place in games played (109), fourth in assists (294), and fifth in free throws made (258). Murray passed Assistant Coach Lynn Flanagan on the all-time assists ranking. With just six assists, Murray will have recorded 300 assists in her career, becoming just the fourth LMU player to reach the 1000 point and 300 assist milestone. She also needs to hit just four field goals to become the third Lion to make 500 field goals in her career. Murray is the only LMU player to rank in 12 of the 13 all-time career statistical categories.
No Place Like Home
With wins over San Diego and Santa Clara last weekend, the Lions moved their current home record to 7-1. Since 2000, the Lions have gone an impressive 37-10 at home in Gersten Pavilion.
Bench Breakthrough
The LMU bench had a breakthrough performance against Santa Clara on Saturday. LMU's nonstarters out-scored Santa Clara's bench 25-14, including 17 first-half points. Sophomore Jevay Grooms ended the game with 13 points and five rebounds, both career-highs. Jasmin Matthews added six points, five rebounds, and three steals.
Kate Murray Named WCC Player of the Month
Loyola Marymount women's basketball senior Kate Murray has been selected as the West Coast Conference's Player of the Month, the conference announced today. For the month of December, Murray led the Lions (9-4) in points per game, field goal percentage, free-throw percentage, and assists. Playing for a team that had three athletes receive WCC Player of the Week honors in December alone, the Lions' guard/forward led the Lions to the top WCC standing heading into conference play this weekend. Murray, the WCC Player of the Week on December 15, ranks first on the team in points per game (14.8), field goal percentage (.504), minutes (31.8), free throw percentage (.857), and assists (36). She also averaged a .471 three-point field goal percentage and 5.3 rebounds per game, and tallied 15 steals and 4 blocks. Murray enters WCC play ranking third in the conference in scoring average, second in both field goal and three-point percentage, and first in assist/turnover ratio (1.89). The Tigard, Oreg., native was a key performer as the Lions won a program-record eight straight games. In the win over Cal Poly, Murray scored 18 points and added six assists and five rebounds en route to earning WCC Player of the Week honors. She scored 21 points twice in the Lions' first 12 games and earned Marina del Rey Marriott Beach Classic All-Tournament team honors, as the Lions qualified for their second tournament title game this season. Murray now ranks in the top ten in 12 of LMU's 13 all-time career statistical categories.
Record Setting Night
The Lions set the stage early on for a record setting night against UC Riverside earlier this season hitting its first three field goals of the game from long distance. LMU went on to hit another nine long range field goals bringing the team total at the end of the night to 12, a new single-game record for the Lions. Five different Lions helped break the old record of 10 which was set back in 1999 at Colorado State and then matched again in 2002 against Santa Clara. Jenni Smith was the leader collecting four of the 12 three-pointers. Kate Murray and Amanda Patton followed with three each while senior Raelen Self and Rachael Ziemann each chipped in one.
Getting Noticed
The Lions' strong non-conference record did not go unnoticed. LMU received votes in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll. The December 15 poll was the first national recognition for the Lions this season.
Lions Win Third Straight WCC Battle
LMU defeated Santa Clara 69-59 in a Saturday afternoon WCC battle in Gersten Pavilion. The victory marks the third straight conference win for the Lions, whose home record moves to 7-1. The game saw several Lions step up, as LMU got 25 points from its bench in the win. Senior Adrianne Slaughter gave the Lions an instant rebounding advantage, collecting seven in the first ten minutes of play. With just under seven minutes left in the first, Kate Murray found Jevay Grooms under the basket for two. The Lions then forced a Bronco turnover at the opposite end, converting it into two additional points and a four point lead on a jumper by Raelen Self. Grooms continued to step up for the Lions in the first, posting four more points in less than three minutes of play. By the 5:35 mark, she had equaled a career-high four points. The LMU bench accounted for 17 of LMU's 29 first half points. Jasmin Matthews was responsible for six of those, in addition to two rebounds and a steal. LMU's defense forced 19 turnovers in the first, leading to 21 points off turnovers. The Lions also tallied 14 points in the paint for a 29-27 score at the half. Murray's four first-half assists moved her into fifth on LMU's all-time career assist leaders, as she passed LMU Assistant Coach Lynn Flanagan with 290 assists. Despite the first half season-highs for LMU, the Broncos kept thing close, shooting 47.1 percent from the field in the first and taking a 33-35 lead out of the halftime break. But Bianca Ziemann found Slaughter under the basket to tie the game at 35 with just under 14 minutes left in the game. Setting a new career-high, Matthews picked up her third steal of the game with nine minutes remaining. The Lions took a 47-45 lead with just over 6:25 left when Murray dished to Self, who switched hands midair to score the lay-up. Grooms showed similar skill with four minutes remaining, using a spin move in the paint to pass her SCU defender to give LMU the 52-48 lead. Self extended the lead to eight at 60-52 when she completed a three-point play after hitting a lay-up while being fouled with one and half minutes remaining in the game. The Broncos hit a three-pointer with under a minute left, but could not outlast the Lions, who took the ten point victory at 69-59. The victory marked the Lions first win over Santa Clara since 2000, when LMU defeated the Broncos by 20. Murray collected her second double-double of the season, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Her seven assists were also a season-high. Grooms ended the game with 13 points and five rebounds, both career-highs.
Murray and Ziemann Selected to Marriott Beach Classic All-Tournament Team
The Lions' Kate Murray and Bianca Ziemann were selected to the 2003 Marina del Rey Marriott Beach Classic All-Tournament team for their effort against Northwestern and No. 4 Duke. Murray and Ziemann led the Lions to their second tournament championship game of the season. Murray scored 27 points on the weekend, including a 3-for-6 three-point effort. Ziemann, the reigning WCC Player of the Week, totaled 29 points. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native put on a three-point show against Northwestern, hitting four of six three-point attempts en route to the 63-45 LMU win. It was the second all-tournament team for Ziemann, who also received the honor at the Furama Thanksgiving Classic. Melissa Culver of Northwestern, Sharema Dean of Hampton, and Duke's Monique Currie and Alana Beard joined Murray and Ziemann on the all-tournament team.
Ziemann Receives WCC Player of the Week Honors
Bianca Ziemann was named the WCC Women's Basketball Player of the Week as announced by the conference office on Dec. 29. Ziemann led the Lions to a 63-45 win over Northwestern on Day one of the LMU Marina del Rey Marriott Beach Classic. The win marked LMU's sixth straight home win dating back to last season, and the Lions remained a perfect 5-0 in Gersten Pavilion. Ziemann finished the night against the Wildcats tied for the game's leading scorer with 16 points. She shot 5-of-8 from the floor, 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and 2-for-3 from the free-throw line. The four three-pointers set a new career game-high for Ziemann who also collected five rebounds, two assists and two steals. The honor marked the third time in December a Lion was selected as the WCC women's basketball player of the week.
Murray Named WCC Player Of The Week
Kate Murray was named WCC Co-Player of the Week as announced December 16 by the conference office. Murray has been the Lions' leading scorer all year and was averaging a team-high 15.9 points per game at the time of the selection. The Tigard, Oreg., native propelled the Lions' to their sixth straight win, which tied a school record, against Cal Poly. Murray scored 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the floor while also adding six assists, five rebounds and one steal in the win over the Mustangs. Murray led the Lions' scoring efforts in six of the first eight games of the season, including the win over UNLV which set a new LMU record for consecutive wins.
The Wilhoit File
Head Coach Julie Wilhoit, a two-time WCC Coach of the Year recipient, enters her eighth season at the helm of the women's basketball program at LMU. She led the Lions to back-to-back winning seasons in 2000 and 2001 while entering the season with an impressive 30-9 record in Gersten Pavilion since 2000. Under her direction, LMU set new school records for single-season overall wins (21) and single-season conference wins (10) in 2000-01. She led the Lions to a 21-10 overall record, a 10-4 mark in conference play, to within a game of LMU's first ever regular-season conference championship, to their first appearance in the WCC tournament championship game and to their first ever postseason game that year. She was the first LMU women's basketball coach to earn the top coaching nod in 1999-00, the first to have earned it in consecutive seasons at LMU and only the second coach in WCC history to garner the award in two straight years. She was named the fourth head coach in the program's history on June 30, 1995. Wilhoit came to LMU after a two-year stint at the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford. With the Lions, she entered the 2003-04 season holding a 98-135 (.421) overall record and 39-79 (.331) record in West Coast Conference play. Wilhoit began her 16th year as a head coach owning a 219-205 (.517) overall record.
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