Dec. 28, 2004
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BRIEFLY
The Loyola Marymount University men's basketball is 5-2 in their last seven games, falling by a combined nine points to the 12th-ranked and 25th ranked teams in the nation. The Lions, with an overall record of 7-3, will look to continue their improvement when they travel to the Gosner Foods Classic hosted by Utah State and open with Northern Arizona (6-5) on Wednesday, Dec. 29 at 5:05 p.m. (PST). Also in the tournament is host Utah State and South Carolina State. Both games of the tournament can be heard live on the Lions' Audio Network.
TOUGH STRETCH
With the year coming to a close, so to is the non-conference portion of LMU's 2004-05 schedule. It is quite a stretch for the Lions, as the final seven games of the Lions' non-conference schedule comes against teams with a combined record of 51-27, with the last five contests coming on the road. The 64-54 win over Colgate on Tuesday began a five-game road swing that will take 11,340 miles between Dec. 19 and Jan. 4 as they will travel from New York, Virginia, Utah and Minnesota. The second game of the tour was a heartbreaking overtime setback to 25th-ranked Virginia (8-1), 79-77. Up next for the Lions is Northern Arizona (6-5) in the first day of the Utah State Tournament. Also on tap in the Gosner Foods Classic is either host Utah State (7-3) or South Carolina State (7-3). The stretch closes with just the eighth meeting against a Big Ten opponent when the Lions play Minnesota (7-3) on Jan. 3.
CHARTING HISTORY
The 2004-05 season could be a historical one for the only senior on the Lions' roster, Charles Brown. The Hercules, Calif., native has now played in 99 career games as a Lion and will become just the 17th player in 90-plus years of LMU basketball to appear in more than 100 games in a Lion uniform against Northern Arizona. With the longevity, Brown is also climbing into the career record books. He could become just the fifth player in school history score 1,000 career points and earn 400 or more assists. Entering the Virginia game he has 907 career points and 343 assists. Last season he had 334 points and 111 assists. He would join an elite list of Terrell Lowery (1988-92), Keith Smith (1982-86), Enoch Simmons (1985-89) and Jim Williamson. There have been 26 players in LMU history to score at least 1,000 career points. Brown is currently seventh all-time in career assists with 340.
A WINNING RECORD
The game against Virginia was the 39th consecutive game the Lions have played with a winning record (.500 or better). LMU never fell under .500 in the 2003-04 campaign in which they posted a 15-14 overall record. This season the Lions are 7-3 after starting the year 2-0. The 39-game streak is the second best in program history, trailing a 52-game stretch from Dec. 30, 1960 through Dec. 26, 1962. The streak started in the 1960-61 season, the first WCC Championship campaign in LMU history. The Lions started the streak when they were 4-4 on the season and finished 20-7 overall. In 1961-62 the Lions went 18-9 and were above .500 the entire campaign. The 1962-63 saw the Lions begin 3-1 before dropping three straight to fall below .500 for the first time in three seasons.
MARKED IMPROVEMENT
What a stretch of games it has been for sophomore Matthew Knight. After posting just the first regular season 30-point game since 1998 for the Lions against San Diego State, Knight followed it up with another stellar week. In two games before Christmas, Knight averaged 22.5 points and 9.5 in a win over Colgate and a heartbreaking overtime setback at #25 Virginia. Knight finished leading the team in both games, scoring 18 on 7-for-14 shooting against Colgate and then leading all scorers with 27 on 11-of-19 shooting against the ranked Cavaliers. Against Virginia he added his first career double-double with 10 rebounds. He had nine against Colgate. On the week he finished 18-for-33 from the field (54.5 percent), 9-for-10 from the free throw line, nine offensive rebounds, two assists and two blocks. In the last two weeks, he is averaging over 21 points and 8.8 rebounds per game and has moved his season numbers to 16.7 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game. His scoring average ranks him 10th in the West Coast Conference and his rebound average is 11th in the WCC. His average is 111.8 points per game better than last season, the best turnaround among returning players from the 2003-04 season. He is also first in the league with 3.66 offensive rebounds per game and is third with a 55.1 field goal percentage. He has scored in double figures in all but one game this season.
BENCH SCORING
In the last four games, the Lions have been given a big boost from the scoring end off the bench thanks in large part to junior Dustin Brown. In addition, the Lions, who were last in the West Coast Conference in rebounding margin three week ago, have turned things around on the rebounding end of the floor to hold a +5.2 edge on the boards to rank third in the WCC. Brown, a junior from San Rafael, Calif., has had the best start of his three-year career in a stretch of games that has been the toughest of the season for the Lions. Since the Dec. 12 heartbreaker to 12th-ranked Washington (100-93), Brown has been a force off the bench for the Lions. In the last four games he is second on the team in scoring with 12.5 points per game, raising his average on the season to 7.5. He entered the 2004-05 campaign with a 2.7 average on his career. Brown's scoring has helped the Lions hold an edge in bench scoring over the last four games. The Lions' bench out scored Washington 35-7 thanks to Brown's season-high 18 points. Freshman Jon Ziri then powered the bench scoring in the 72-68 win over San Diego State with his career-high 11 points. Brown was at it again in the win over Colgate with 14 points and then 15 in another heartbreaker to a ranked team, at #25 Virginia.
AND THE BOARDS
The bench scoring has been impressive for the Lions, however, the LMU's rebounding has been equally good in this current stretch. LMU has out rebounded its last three opponents by an average of 10 and since the Washington game they are averaging 41.8 rebounds compared to the opponent's 34.2. The play of Matthew Knight has been the thrust. In addition to his 21.5 points over the last four games, including 30 against San Diego State, 18 against Colgate and 27 against Virginia, Knight's rebounding has led to the scoring. Knight is averaging 8.8 boards in the last four games, earning nearly half of them on the offensive end to lead the WCC. On the season the Lions have had just one game with less than 10 offensive rebounds and in the last four they are averaging 17, including back-to-back 20 offensive rebound games against San Diego State and Colgate. The offensive rebounding has led to 61 second chance points in the last four contests.
CLEANING THE GLASS
The Lions finished with a 44-33 edge on the boards against the Raiders and a 44-34 edge against 25th-ranked Virginia, the second and third straight games LMU has out rebounded an opponent by double digits. In the first two games the Lions finished with 20 offensive boards. It is the first time since Head Coach Steve Aggers first season (2000-01) the Lions have two games in one season with 20 or more offensive boards. In total, the Lions had just three games with 20 or more heading into this season in the tenure of Coach Aggers. The Lions had 25 at UNLV (Jan. 3, 2001), 21 vs. Pepperdine (Feb. 21, 2003) and 20 vs. Pepperdine (Jan. 17, 2001). They had 20 against San Diego State on Saturday, Dec. 18.
GETTING OFFENSIVE
The Lions have been known for solid defensive play in the five years under Head Coach Steve Aggers. After eight games in the 2004-05 season, the LMU offense is catching up and is off to its best start under Aggers and best since the 1994-95 season. The Lions started the year with five straight games over 70 points for the first time in 10 seasons and have had just one game under 70 all season. Statistically, the Lions' offense is among the league leaders in most categories and have posted the best numbers after eight games under Aggers and the best overall since 1997-98. Heading into the week, the Lions are second in the WCC in scoring average (75.6), first in three-point field goal percentage (40.4) and first in free throw percentage (78.7). In addition, the Lions are averaging 16.5 assists (2nd) while turning it over just 13.0 times (1st). All are the best under Aggers. The offense features a balanced attack with three players in double figures, including sophomore Matthew Knight leading the team with 16.7 points per game. Senior Charles Brown is second with 12.4 and Brandon Worthy has 11.5.
LONG RANGE
The 2004-05 season features a different look for the Lions, and the most evident has been the shooting from long distance. The Lions lead the West Coast Conference in three-point field goal percentage at .404. As of Dec. 20 the Lions were ranked 20th in the nation from the three-point line. In the previous four seasons the best the Lions' finished was 31.2 percent. Senior Charles Brown has had the hot hand, hitting 48.6 percent from the three-point line, knocking down 18-of-37, including a 3-for-4 effort in the win over Colgate. Also hitting around 50 percent is sophomore Brandon Worthy at 6-for-11. Junior Wes Wardrop is hitting 9-for-17 (.529), hitting 2-of-3 against Virginia. Sophomore Daryl Pegram is at 40.0 percent, knocking down 10-of-25.
CHARITY
The Lions finished hitting 13-of-15 from the free throw line in the win over Colgate, a percentage of 85.7, and 10-for-12 (83.3) against Virginia. It is the seventh straight game the Lions have finished hitting better than 80 percent from the charity stripe, making at least 10 in all of those games. For the season the Lions have hit better than 76 percent in every game but one on the season to lead the WCC with an overall percentage of 78.7. They ranked eighth in the nation as of Dec. 20.
STEALS
For the first time since the 1989-90 season the Lions started a season with four straight games with 10 or more steals. The Lions started the year with 11 against Monmouth, 12 against Northern Colorado, 12 against UC Riverside and 10 against Denver. They had the streak snapped by just one with nine against Long Beach State (12/4/04) but rebounded with 11 in the road win over South Alabama. It is the most steals to start a year since the 1989-90 team had 11 at UNLV (Nov. 15, 1989), 15 against Nevada (Nov. 25, 1989), 13 against Stetson (Dec. 1) and 19 at Jacksonville (Dec. 2). In that 1989-90 season, the Lions had 10 or more steals in the first nine games. The Lions have led the WCC in steals the last two seasons and early in the 2004-05 campaign they lead the league with 9.1 per game.
GETTING O FROM THE D
Through nine games on the season the Lions have scored 211 points thanks to 182 forced turnovers. LMU has forced opponents to an average of 18.2 turnovers per game, leading to an average of 21.1 points per game. Against San Diego State, the Lions had their fewest forced turnovers of the season with 12 and fewest amount of steals with six but still managed to score 18 points off those turnovers. In the win over Colgate, the Lions forced 15 turnovers with seven steals and scored 15 points. The Lions lead the league in steals (9.1) and second in forced turnovers (18.2).
A LOOK AT GAME #11
For the seventh time in school history the Lions will take on Northern Arizona when they meet in the first game of the Gosner Foods Classic hosted by Utah State. The Lions hold a 4-2 edge in the series and fell in the last meeting on Dec. 18, 1996 at Gersten Pavilion. The Lumberjacks are 6-5 on the season after a 102-83 win over Quinnipiac on Dec. 21. LMU and NAU have played one like opponent, UC Riverside. NAU defeated the Highlanders in Flagstaff, 78-60. San Diego defeated NAU on Dec. 18 65-56. The three-pointer has been a key to NAU's season, hitting 74-of-197 (37.6 percent), led by 32 from Kyle Feuerbach and 26 from Kelly Golob. Feuerbach and Golob are third and fourth on the team in scoring with 11.8 and 11.5 points per game respectively. Leading the team is DeJuan Stevens with 12.9 points and Ruben Boykin, Jr., has 12.5 in an attack that features four players in double figures.
IN TOURNAMENTS
This will be the fourth consecutive year the LMU men's basketball team will play in a non-conference tournament after winning the Mohegan Sun Classic hosted by Central Conn. State University last season. The 58-57 dramatic victory over CCSU in the title game of the Mohegan Sun Classic was the first tournament win for the Lions since winning the Nike Festival in December of the 1995-96 season. The Lions also defeated SUNY Binghamton in the first game. In the 2001-02 season the Lions started the year in the inaugural Guardian's Classic played at the University of Alabama. The Lions defeated Mississippi Valley State 74-65 in the second round but lost to Samford, 72-60 in the first round. Last year the Lions appeared in two tournaments, the Great Alaska Shootout and the Holiday Stores/Big R Classic hosted by Montana State. In Alaska, the Lions defeated Montana (65-62) while falling to Villanova (87-71) and Wyoming (72-65) to take sixth in the tournament. In Bozeman, Mont., the Lions defeated South Carolina State (74-69) and fell to Siena (79-71).
NON-CONFERENCE
With the 7-3 record in non-conference this season, the Lions are off to the best start since 1995-96 when they began 8-1. The Lions are now 16-7 against non-conference opponents over the last two seasons. The Lions are 4-1 at Gersten Pavilion and 3-2 on the road.
THE NATION'S FINEST
The West Coast Conference started basketball in the early 1950's and has emerged as a "midmajor" power today. The WCC is just one of only six conferences in the country that can boast that all of its member schools have a winning record (.500 or better). The others are the ACC, Pac-10, Big 12, SEC, and the Big East. The WCC jumped from 11 to 8 in the most recent RPI ratings. The No. 8 ranking is the highest in WCC history. The previous high was in 2001-02 when the WCC finished the season with a No. 10 ranking. WCC teams posted a 9-3 (.750) record two weeks ago and went 8-3 prior to Christmas. and 4-0 after Tuesday to improve the WCC's overall record to 63-28 for a .692 winning percentage heading into the week. The .692 non-conference winning percentage is on pace to shatter the conference's best winning percentage.
DIFFERENT STATES
The Lions will take road trips to six different states this non-conference season, the most since 1989-90. LMU just finished a trip that took them to New York and Virginia, their third and fourth different state this season. The fifth state is next in a trip to Utah. While the Lions have made frequent trips to Utah, the recent trip to New York was the first since the 1992 season when the Lions played Buffalo and Marist. Against teams from the state of New York, LMU is 11-4 overall and 2-4 when playing in the state. The Lions made their first trip in program history to Virginia when they took on the 25th-ranked Cavaliers. LMU will add its first-ever trip to Minnesota and a repeat trip to Utah to end the non-conference portion of the schedule. Earlier on this season the Lions made their third trip to Colorado. With wins over both Denver and UNC this season, LMU is now 8-3 all-time against opponents from the state. The game against South Alabama was just the third time the Lions have played an opponent from the state of Alabama and the second time the Lions have played in the state. The Lions played in the Guardian's Classic in 2001 held at the University of Alabama. In the tournament the Lions took on Samford, who is in the state. The Lions also played the University of Alabama in the 1990 NCAA West Regional Semifinals.
WELCOME BACK
After missing all of last season with a hand injury, sophomore Brandon Worthy has returned in a big way for the Lions. The San Jose, Calif., native is third on the team in scoring (11.5 ppg), and leads the team in assists (39) and steals (22). In the Lions' game against UC Riverside, Worthy broke-out with 26 points, eight assists and five steals while hitting 3-of-4 from the three-point line and going a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. Worthy, who ranked 10th all-time in free throws made for a season with 149 his freshman season, scored all 10 of his points against Long Beach State from the charity stripe. For the season he is shooting 51.5 percent from the field (35-for-68) to rank second in the West Coast Conference. He is also ranked 14th in scoring, second in steals and fifth in assists. He finished the game against Washington with 10 of 18 points in the final five minutes to put the Lions within striking distance.
MORE CAREER MARKS
Junior Charles Brown led the West Coast Conference in steals for the second straight season as he added to his career total with a league-leading 58 in the 2003-04 campaign. He became the first player in eight years to lead the WCC in steals back-to-back seasons. He was the first Lion to lead the conference in steals since Haywood Eaddy did it in 1997-98. His two steals against Colgate (12-21-04) replaced Tom Peabody (155) for fifth all-time in LMU history with 157 career steals. He has started the 2004-05 campaign with 18 steals in nine games. Brown's 61 in 2003 ranked sixth best in a single season in LMU history and his 55 in 2004 was 11th best all-time. He had 20 in his first season.
- GO LIONS -
