May 18, 2004
Udine, ITALY (May 17) - Day seven the Loyola Marymount European Tour 2004 was spent cruising, during the morning hours in Venice on a tour of the water city and then in the late afternoon and early evening in a win on the court over Udine.
As promised, few can forget the site of Venice (Venezia) rising like a fairytale from the murky lagoon. Once little more than an island refuge for fisherman, Venice grew to become one of the world's most powerful republics. Situated in the northeastern corner of Italy at the head of the Adriatic Sea, the city is uniquely poised between the East and West and dominated the trade routes between Asia and Europe.
By the fifteenth century the empire stretched from the Alps to the island of Cyprus. Venice combined the exotic with the pragmatic. Silks, spices and Marco Polo tales of the East went hand. Today, Venice is in danger of becoming a floating museum. The city is sinking. Rising water levels cause the city to flood up to 40 times a year, but the construction of steel floodgates across the lagoon remains on hold. From November to March, visitors should take their rain boots and prepare to cross Saint Mary's square on "duckboards."
The main stretch of site seeing for the Lions was the Grand Canal. The canal is lined with the palaces of wealthy maritime merchants, their glittering marble facades a testimony to the changing fashions in architecture - from Morrish palaces, their narrow windows picked out in gold tracery, to Renaissance facades, all curved arches and classical symmetry. Over 200 churches and 400 bridges are scattered amid the jigsaw of canals, mudflats and sandbanks. Around each corner, teetering on the water's edge a gem is waiting to be discovered.
Those jems were discovered as a group of Lions spent the morning touring the city. The attractions included the Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark's Basilica), San Marco Plaza, Palazzo Ducale (Doges' Palace), Rialto Bridge, Galleria dell'Accademia, Basilica dei Frari and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
The Basilica and the Plaza was memorably described by Napoleon as Europe's finest drawing room. The church was founded in the ninth century as a shrine for the relics of St. Mark. The Doges' Palace, once home of the elected leader of Venice, was also the city's political nerve center. The bridge is centered on Rialto Island and was built in 1264. The Galleria is home to many of Venice's greatest paintings and opened in 1750.
With a day cruising a city on the water, the Lions cruised through their next game on Monday evening.
Game #4 - LMU 84, Udine 48
After having to erase a 12-point deficit in their last game, the Loyola Marymount University men's basketball team left no doubt as they cruised to an 84-48 win over Udine in the impressive Palazzo Dello Sport facility in the Italian city 70 kilometers from Venice.
The Lions went 5-for-15 in the first quarter and led by just three, 13-10, against the 10th-ranked program in the Italian League. However, they went on a 17-7 in the first six minutes of the second quarter to take a 12-point lead. The Lions never trailed by less than 10 the rest of the way.
The decisive run was led by a jumper from Daryl Pegram, a three-pointer by Wes Wardrop and a transition lay-in from Charles Brown. The lead would grow to 18 at the break as the Lions forced 10 steals in the first half to pull away.
LMU left no doubt as they outscored Udine 21-11 in the third quarter and 22-14 in the fourth as they ran their offense and got open looks, mainly in the paint. Centers, junior Chris Ayer and sophomore Antti Kasko had a scoring breakthrough in the second frame. Ayer finished with 17 points, 12 in the second half, and Kasko had 16, also getting 12 in the second.
Sophomore John Haywood added 14 points and Wardrop added 13. Pegram added 12 rebounds as LMU improves to 4-0 on their playing tour of Southern Europe.
- GO LIONS -
Venice facts taken from www.worldtravelguide.net
