Dec. 7, 2004

Box Score

MOBILE, Ala. (Dec. 7) - Loyola Marymount University had everything thrown at them and they were able to outlast the University of South Alabama 63-59 in a non-conference battle that featured 18 lead changes and 12 ties on Tuesday night at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala.

With the game tied at 53-53, junior Wes Wardrop hit a three-pointer with 1:58 remaining to give the Lions a 56-53 lead. After Jaguar free throws, a lay-up by sophomore Matthew Knight and an LMU timeout, Wardrop drilled another three-pointer with 48 seconds to give the Lions a four-point lead, 61-57, to seal the win.

LMU has won three straight and improves to 5-1 on the season. It is the second straight year the Lions have started the year 5-1. South Alabama falls to 2-4 on the year.

"We overcame a lot of adversity and this was a lot like a good road win in WCC play," said Head Coach Steve Aggers. "The guys are growing in confidence and we executed well in the final five minutes. We played with the poise and confidence you need to earn win in a hard fought game."

Wardrop finished with the six points as the Lions were again led by a balanced offensive attack and an aggressive defense. Senior Charles Brown led the Lions with 13 points while Brandon Worthy added 11 and Matthew Knight had 10. The Lions overcame a 33-point effort by Mario Jointer thanks to 11 steals and 24 South Alabama turnovers.

"Our depth was again a factor and Wes came off the bench and played really well. After playing man-to-man most the game, they switched to zone in the last part of the game," said Aggers. "Wes hit two really big shots against the zone and Chuck hit his free throws. We did the things we needed to down the stretch."

The Lions led by as many as eight in the first half but the Jaguars to cut it to a pair with two free throws with no time remaining. The team began to trade leads until South Alabama took a 49-46 lead with 5:59 remaining in the game on a tip-in by Jeffrey Collins.

Brown would answer with his third three-pointer of the game with 4:53 remaining to tie the game for the fifth time in the half. The lead would change twice with another pair of ties all on free throws over the next three minutes to set-up Wardrop's three-pointer. Jointer would hit a five-footer to cut it to 61-59 but Brown hit both free throws to make it official.

"When the games are tight and we are fighting from behind, we have faith in our defense that we will get the stops down the stretch and get the offense from it," said Wardrop. "The play at the end was for Chuck to drive, but it was limited and Brandon made a great pass. I didn't even think about it, I knew I just had to knock it down."

The Lions entered the game leading the West Coast Conference hitting nearly 43 percent from the three-point line and they were up to the task going 6-for-13 from long distance (46.2 percent). In addition, the Lions finished hitting 83 percent from the free throw line, going 15-for-18 from the stripe. The Jaguars finished hitting 40.9 percent from long distance thanks in large part to Jointer who went 7-for-9.

LMU will take their winning streak into a showdown with 16th-ranked Washington on Sunday, Dec. 12 at 12:30 p.m. The game will be on Fox Sports Net West and on the Lions' Audio Network.

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