BRIEFLY
The Loyola Marymount University men's basketball team will host the 16th-ranked Washington Huskies at Gersten Pavilion on Sunday, Dec. 12 at 12:30 p.m. It will be just the eighth time a ranked opponent has visited Gersten Pavilion as the match-up features a pair of one-loss teams in 6-1 Washington and 5-1 LMU. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports Net West2 and can be heard on the Lions' Audio Network. Tickets are still available by calling (310) 338-6095.

ANOTHER GOOD START
For the second time in two seasons the Lions have started the year 5-1. The Lions have a three-game winning streak entering the tough match-up with 16th-ranked Washington. LMU started the season with five straight wins last season and have had a winning streak of three games or more in the last four seasons under fifth-year Head Coach Steve Aggers. Prior to the arrival of Aggers, the Lions had only one three-game winning streak since 1995 when they started the season 8-1 under John Olive. The 5-0 start was the best undefeated stretch since 1952 when the Lions began 6-0 under Edwin Powell.

A LOOT AT GAME #7
This will be the fourth meeting between the Lions and Washington. The last meeting came in 1996 at Seattle as the Huskies defeated the Lions 85-60. The last meeting at Gersten Pavilion came in 1994. The Lions won the game 80-61. The teams first met in 1978 as Washington won in Seattle 82-68. Washington enters the contest ranked 16th by the Associated Press and 21st in the Coaches' Poll. After falling to the WCC's Gonzaga in Spokane on Dec. 1, the Huskies have reeled off two wins on the week, defeating Eastern Washington 89-56 on Dec. 5 and San Diego State 98-69 on Dec. 7. Taking away the Huskies winning the Great Alaska Shootout with neutral wins over Utah, Oklahoma and #19 Alabama, the Huskies will play in just their second true road game. The leader of the Washington Huskies is one of the best players in the nation. Guard Nate Robinson chose to return to the program instead of going into the NBA draft. It has payed off so far for the Huskies as he leads the team in points (23.7), assists (39) and steals (2.8). At just 5-7, the junior has led Washington's high-powered offense in five of the seven games. UW averages 88 points per game while allowing 76.1.

TAKING ON THE RANKED
The Lions will welcome a non-conference ranked opponent to Gersten Pavilion for the first time since 16th-ranked Utah came on Nov. 25, 1997. Overall, this will be just the eight-ranked team to play in Gersten Pavilion and 23rd to play on the campus of LMU. The last was Gonzaga, who was ranked 16th on Jan. 10, 2004. The Lions have won 11 games against ranked opponents, the last coming in the NCAA Tournament when LMU defeated Alabama, 62-60, in the NCAA West Regional Semifinals on March 23, 1990.

LONG RANGE
Through six games of the 2004-05 season, LMU is averaging six made three-pointers a game. They have made 36-of-84 on the season (.429) and entered the week leading the West Coast Conference. Last season it took the Lions 11 games to hit their 36th three-pointer and the Lions five games with six or more three-pointers equals the total they had all of last season. Four players have five or more on the season with senior Charles Brown knocking down 10, including three in the win over South Alabama as he went 3-for-5. Worthy, who had just four his entire freshman season, is 6-for-7 from long distance (.857) and sophomore Daryl Pegram has also added six. Junior Wes Wardrop is hitting 50 percent on the season, knocking down 7-of-14, including his two in the final minutes to win the game at South Alabama. Since returning from a foot injury at the beginning of conference play last season, Wardrop is hitting 49 percent from the three-point line (27-of-56).

MORE THREES
For the third time this season the Lions shot better from the three-point line than they did from the field. Against South Alabama on Tuesday, the Lions finished the game hitting 6-for-13 from long distance (46.2 percent). For the game they finished hitting 38.9 percent, hitting 21-of-54 from the field. They also did it in the win over Northern Colorado (11/24/04) and in the setback to UC Riverside (11/27/04). Against UNC, the Lions finished 7-for-13 from behind the arc (53.8 percent) while hitting 50.9 percent from the field (30-for-59). In Riverside, the Lions hit 44.4 percent from the three-point line (8-for-18) while hitting just 37.9 percent from the field (25-for-66). On the season the Lions have had a pair of games shooting better than 50 percent from the field, going 50.8 in the win over UNC and 55.1 percent in the win over Denver.

GETTING OFFENSIVE
The Lions have been known for solid defensive play in the five years under Head Coach Steve Aggers. After just six 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. Statistically, the Lions' offense is among the league leaders in most categories and have posted the best numbers after six games under Aggers. The Lions are averaging 75.0 points per game (2nd in WCC), shooting 42.9 percent from the three-point line (1st), and 76.6 percent from the free throw line (3rd). In addition, the Lions are averaging 16.3 assists (2nd) while turning it over just 12.0 times (1st). All are the best under Aggers.

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 led the league with 10.8 per game.

GETTING O FROM THE D
Through just six games on the season the Lions have scored 142 points thanks to 123 forced turnovers. LMU has forced opponents to an average of 20.4 turnovers per game, leading to an average of 23.7 points per game. Last week, the Lions scored 18 points off 18 Long Beach State turnovers, compared to just one point off eight turnovers for the 49ers. In the game against Denver, the Lions scored a season high 30 points on 23 turnovers. In Mobile, the Lions earned 17 points on 24 turnovers against South Alabama. The Lions lead the league in steals (10.8) and forced turnovers (20.5)

LAST TIME OUT
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. The Lions went 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.

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 leads the Lions in scoring (13.7 ppg), assists (24) and steals (16). 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 30-of-38 from the line, an average of 5.0 per made game. The five per game is ahead of his pace during his freshman season in which he made 4.8 per game.

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 95 career games as a Lion. He is looking to become just the 17th player in 90-plus years of LMU basketball to appear in more than 100 games in a Lion uniform. 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 Washington game he has 863 career points and 326 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 326.

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 Lions to lead the conference in steals since Haywood Eaddy did it in 1997-98. His three steals against South Alabama (12-7-04) replaced Jeff Fryer (150) for sixth all-time in LMU history with 153 career steals. He has started the 2004-05 campaign with 14 steals in six games, including a season-high against Northern Colorado (11-24-04) with four. 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.

IMPRESSIVE FRESHMEN
Under Steve Aggers, the Lions have had some of the best freshman classes in school history. In addition to the steal records, freshmen under Aggers have put themselves in the record book 28 times. Brandon Worthy has six freshmen marks, including the most points in his first game with 24, which also ranks fifth all-time for a freshman in a single game.

NON-CONFERENCE
With the 5-1 start in non-conference this season, the Lions are now 14-5 against non-conference opponents over the last two seasons.

EARLY IMPRESSION
Transfer Adoyah Evans-Miller became the second player under Head Coach Steve Aggers at LMU to score 10 or more points in their LMU debut. Evans-Miller, a transfer from Miami-Dade College, finished Saturday's game with 14 points. He finished the game going 4-for-12 from the field, hitting 2-for-5 from the three-point line and 4-for-5 from the charity stripe. On the season, Evans-Miller is averaging 8.0 points per game. The other player to score double digits in an LMU debut under Aggers was sophomore Brandon Worthy. As a true freshman in the 2002-03 season, Worthy set a freshman record with 24 points in a win over Loyola-Chicago on Nov. 22, 2002.

UNDER 60
Defense has become the Lions' trademark under Head Coach Steve Aggers. During the 2003-04 season, the Lions set an impressive mark by holding six opponents under 60 points. It was the most in any one season during the modern era of basketball, dating back more than 40 years. The last team to have more than six games holding an opponent under 60 points was the 1962-63 squad coached by John Arndt. They held teams under 60 points in seven games that season. For the Lions, the sixth game of the stretch came in a 66-48 win over Santa Clara on Feb. 12. The 48 points allowed was the fewest points since they held Saint Mary's to just 48 on Feb. 15, 1985. On Nov. 26, 1984 that same team opened the season allowing just 43 points to LA Baptist. The start of 2004-05 has been more of the same as the 59 points for South Alabama was the third time the Lions held a team under 60 this season. With the win over the Jaguars, the Lions improve to 16-1 in games holding opponents under 60 points during Coach Aggers tenure.

FROM THREE
Since the three-point field goal was introduced in the 1986-87 season, Loyola Marymount men's basketball has had just one game where they have not had a three-pointer. In the 528 games the Lions have played since the three-point line was instituted, the Lions have hit three-pointers in 527 of them. The only "miss" came on Dec. 19, 1995 when the Lions went 0-for-6 in an 82-80 win over Hawaii. That game snapped a 271 consecutive three-pointer streak for the Lions. They currently have made a three-pointer in 256 straight games heading into the game against Washington.

GERSTEN PAVILION
LMU is off to a 3-0 start in Gersten Pavilion for the second consecutive season. The Lions finished the 2003-04 season with a record of 8-6. Last season's mark was the best record at home since the 1998-99 season when they went 9-5. 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. The Lions are now 173-141 all-time in Gersten.

OPENING TILT
The Lions' season opener against Monmouth University was the first time in 11 years they took on a team that went to the NCAA Tournament the prior year. LMU last played an opener against an NCAA tourney team when they fell to UCLA on Nov. 27, 1993 and the first win season opener win against such a team. The Lions improved to 5-0 in home openers under Head Coach Steve Aggers and 4-1 in season openers. With the win over Northern Colorado, the Lions improved to 2-3 in road openers.

OUT OF THE GATES
The Lions ran their record to 2-0 in the early campaign for the third straight season under fifth-year head coach Steve Aggers. It is the first time the Lions have started three straight seasons 2-0 since the early 1950s. Scotty McDonald led the Lions to a 2-0 start with wins over Arizona State and USC in 1949. McDonald then led the Lions to a 2-0 start in 1950 and a 3-0 start in 1951. In 1952 Edwin Powell's squad played their first six games at home and won them all to start 6-0. William Donovan then took over the program as the Lions started 3-0 in 1953, 2-0 in 1954 and 2-0 in 1955. The 5-0 start by the Lions last season came one game shy of the mark set by Powell and the 1952-53 squad 52 years ago.

DIFFERENT STATES
The trip to Northern Colorado was the third time in five seasons the Lions headed to the Rocky Mountain state. With the win, the Lions improve to 2-3 when playing in the state of Colorado and thanks to the win over Denver, LMU is now 8-3 all-time against opponents from the state. The Lions are 6-0 when playing a team from Colorado at home. In the first season under Head Coach Steve Aggers, the Lions took on the University of Colorado and last year LMU traveled to Denver and played Northern Colorado at home. All-time the Lions are 1-2 vs. Colorado, 3-1 vs. Colorado State, 2-0 vs. Denver and 2-0 vs. Northern Colorado. 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, earning a 62-60 win.

HALF A CENTURY
The Lions 52 points in the second half against Monmouth was the first 50-point half since the second game of the 2003-04 season when the Lions scored 50 in the win over Cal State Northridge. It was also the most point in a single half since they scored 56 in a 90-77 win over Pepperdine on Feb. 3, 1999. They just missed it again with 48 in the first half against Northern Colorado. The 83 total points in the back-to-back games are the most in a regulation game since the Lions put up 86 in a 15-point win over Portland on Feb. 6, 2003.

BLOCKS
The Lions came two shy of tying the program record for blocks with 11 against UC Riverside. LMU set the record with 13 against Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 2, 1998. It was the most blocks since that record-setting game.

WORKING OVERTIME
The Lions 84-82 double overtime win over Denver last season was the first overtime victory since an 81-79 win over Pepperdine in Malibu on Jan. 21, 1998. It was also LMU's first win in four tries under Head Coach Steve Aggers. It was the first double overtime game for LMU since a 97-94 win over Portland at Gersten Pavilion on Feb. 10, 1995. Overall LMU is 23-36 in overtime games with the first overtime game coming in the 1926-27 season against California Christian College, a 16-14 win for the Lions. The win over DU was the second consecutive overtime game for the Lions, the first-time that has happened since 1994-95. It is only the fourth time in the program's history LMU has played in back-to-back OTs (2003-04, 1994-95, 1991-92, 1980-81).

AMONG THE BEST
As graduation rates throughout the State of California and the nation are released, one thing has remained a constant: Loyola Marymount University Athletics ranks among the best in Southern California. For student-athletes who exhausted their eligibility from 1988-89 to 1997-98, the Lions graduation rate is 86 percent as released by the NCAA through its website at www2.ncaa.org. Each year the Lions have posted rates that are among the top of the NCAA Division I institutions in Southern California and this year the percentage ranks tops among the nine schools in the Los Angeles basin. The rates for the Lions reflect the freshman-cohort class of 1997-98. There were 167 student-athletes who enrolled at LMU between 1997-98 and exhausted their eligibility with the Lions. The 1997-98 freshmen class included 47 student-athletes on athletics aid. The freshman 4-class average graduation rate for LMU was 69 percent. The 69 percent graduation rate leads all schools in Southern California. The list of schools includes UC Irvine (64 percent), UC Riverside (63 percent), USC (62 percent), UCLA (61 percent), Pepperdine (58 percent), Long Beach State (46 percent), Cal State Fullerton (42 percent) and Cal State Northridge (27 percent).