Nov. 2, 2005

Briefly
The 2005-06 women's basketball season kicks off on Thursday night with the first exhibition game of the year. The Lions host the Play Mode All-Stars, a team comprised of former college players. Tip off is at 7:30pm in Gersten Pavilion. LMU returns three starters from a year ago, and is poised to make a run at the WCC Championship.

About the Lions
LMU returns its leading scorer from a year ago, Rachael Ziemann. She averaged 10.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game and broke LMU's single season record for three pointers. LMU returns seven of its top nine scorers from last season, and has an exciting group of newcomers that are eager to play at Gersten Pavilion for the first time.

About Play Mode All-Stars
The Play Mode All-Stars is a team comprised of several former local college players. Fans of the WCC will be pleased to see a few familiar faces as three former players from Pepperdine are part of the team. Former Waves Nicole Funn (2004), Shanell Law (2005) and Kelli Spencer (2005) will return to Gersten Pavilion, and are joined by players from the Pac-10 and Big West as well as other conferences.

Last Season
LMU finished second in the WCC, securing a 9-5 record in conference play and a 16-13 record overall. It marks the third time in the last five years that LMU has finished in the top three of the conference, and the second year in a row that the Lions were one of the top two teams. This is just the second time in program history that LMU has finished in the top half of the conference in consecutive years. The #2 seeded Lions concluded their season with a tough 73-64 loss to eventual WCC Champion Santa Clara in the semifinals of the WCC Basketball Championships. The Lions opened the tournament strong with a 68-49 win over San Diego in the first round, but cold shooting in the second half against the Broncos cost the team a chance to play in the championship game.

- GO LIONS! -