Dec. 19, 2005
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Briefly
The Lions wrap up their home non-conference schedule this week with a pair of games at Gersten Pavilion. The 2004-05 WAC Champions Rice travel to Los Angeles on Monday night at 7:00pm. LMU will face its third Big West team in 10 days when it hosts Cal Poly on Wednesday night at 7:00pm.
Amanda Patton for Three!!
Junior guard Amanda Patton put on a show for the fans in Long Beach on Saturday afternoon, making virtually every basket she attempted. What was even more impressive was that all eight of her field goal attempts were from three-point range. She made seven of those attempts, tying Rachael Ziemann's LMU single game record for three-pointers made. In addition, her field goal percentage (.875) ranks 9th in school single game history. She finished with a career-high 29 points. Just as important, she made six free throws in the final 26 seconds of the game to secure the 81-72 win.
Dunlap Earns WCC Honor
Ashlee Dunlap has been named the WCC Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 5-11. Dunlap averaged 11.5 points and 9.0 rebounds on the week, and recorded her WCC-leading third double double of the season. Her play was instrumental against #24 USC, and she helped LMU cruise to a victory over UC Santa Barbara. Dunlap started off the week well, leading all players in scoring and rebounding against #24 USC. She finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 50% from the field. Dunlap played just 19 minutes of LMU's 79-52 blowout over UC Santa Barbara, and contributed eight points and again led all players with seven rebounds.
Looking Back
Amanda Patton tied the LMU single game record for three-pointers and made six free throws in the final 26 seconds to lead LMU to an 81-72 win over Long Beach State last Saturday. Patton was 7-for-8 from three point range, and finished with a career-high 29 points in the victory. LMU led by as many as 17 points in the first half, dominating the 49ers in every aspect of the game. LMU shot 48.5% from the field, and outrebounded LBSU 26-12 in the first half. The 49ers rallied in the second half, cutting the Lion lead to two points, but Patton made three-pointers on three consecutive possessions to extend the Lion lead to double digits. However, Long Beach used an effective press and took advantage of LMU turnovers to cut the LMU lead to three points with 30 seconds remaining. But Patton was solid at the free throw line, making six straight free throws to insure the Lion victory.
The Numbers Game
Sometimes, numbers don't tell the entire story.
LMU's 3-6 record that does not reflect how the team has been performing. LMU's non-conference schedule is one of the toughest in school history, and the Lions have kept the score close in almost every game.
Did you know:
• Every one of LMU's six losses was to a team that won at least 20 games last year?
• Four of the teams that LMU has faced this year advanced to at least the second round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament?
• Six of the teams that LMU has played participated in a national post-season tournament?
• Every team that has beaten LMU finished in the top half of its conference last year?
• LMU has played five games against teams in the top 10 toughest conferences?
• LMU has faced three teams in this week's top 25?
Dunlap's Double Doubles
Ashlee Dunlap has three double doubles this year, and has been an outstanding addition to the Lion lineup. She recorded a double double in her first LMU game (14 points, 12 rebounds), and added another double double at Weber State (11 points, 12 rebounds). She added her third against USC, leading all players in scoring and rebounding with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The junior transfer from San Diego State leads the Lions in rebounds, averaging 9.4 boards per game.
Lineup Mixup
Nine different players have started for the Lions this season, and just one player, Bianca Ziemann, has started all nine games. Over the last four games, Bianca Ziemann, Jenni Smith, Bronwyn Evans and Ashlee Dunlap have all started, with Rachael Ziemann or Amanda Patton filling in for the final starting spot.
Climbing the Charts
Senior Rachael Ziemann had the most three pointers in LMU single season history last year, making 63 long range shots in 2004-05. She has 106 career three pointers, and is now tied with Kate Murray with the second most three-pointers in school history. The LMU career record for three pointers of 118 was set by Bryn Britton in 1998-2002. Ziemann is 13 away from breaking that record.
One for the Record Books
LMU's 93-73 win over UC Irvine was one of for the Lion record books. The 93 points was the seventh highest point total in school history, and the most points scored since LMU scored 94 points against Gonzaga on February 5, 2000. In addition, Amanda Patton added her name to the single-game record list, making five three-pointers for 18 points. The five treys ties for fifth place on the single game list.
One for the Record Books- Part 2
Several more marks were made to the LMU single game records in the 81-72 win at Long Beach State. Amanda Patton tied the single game record for three-pointers made when she was 7-for-8 from long range. She tied the mark that Rachael Ziemann set last year. In addition, her .875 field goal percentage ranks 9th in single game history. Finally, the team made 11 three-pointers (Patton 7, R. Ziemann 3, DeCoud 1) which is the second most in program history. The 11 threes were just one off the mark of 12 set in 2003. Interestingly, 8 of the 12 three pointers made in that game were made by players on this year's team (Patton, Smith and R. Ziemann).
Deep Bench
The season opening games have really shown how deep and balanced LMU's team is this season. In the 93-73 win over UC Irvine, five players scored in double digits, and no player had more than five field goals. Every healthy player saw playing time, with just one person playing more than 24 minutes, and only four playing more than 20 minutes. At least 10 players have appeared in the last five games.
All-Tournament Team
Rachael Ziemann was named to the All-Tournament team at the LMU/Ayres Hotel Thanksgiving Classic. It is the second career All-Tournament honor for Rachael (2004 WCC All-Tournament Team), but the Ziemanns have been a fixture in All-Tournament teams. Last year, Bianca Ziemann was named to the All-Tournament team at the LMU Thanksgiving Tournament, and in 2003-04, Bianca was named to two All-Tournament teams. Tournament time means Ziemann time.
About Rice
The Owls are 3-4 on the season after falling at Stanford, 83-53, on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinal opened with 12 straight points, and Rice couldn't recover. Krystal Frazier led Rice with nine points against Stanford. Lauren Neaves leads the Owls in scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.9 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. Krystal Frazier is averaging 10.3 points per game, and leads the team in assists and steals. Last season, Rice won the WAC Championship and participated in the NCAA Tournament. This season, the Owls are members of Conference USA.
About Cal Poly
The Mustangs are 4-3 on the year, and are coming off of a 65-63 loss against New Mexico State on Saturday. Megan Harrison leads the team in scoring, averaging 10.6 points per game. Jessica Eggleston is averaging 9.4 points per contest, and Sarah Grieve is leading the team in rebounding at 6.3 boards per game. Cal Poly picked up a win against Portland State on Dec. 3rd and lost at San Francisco on Nov. 29th. The Mustangs will host Portland on Monday night before their game at Gersten Pavilion on Wednesday.
Lions Top Preseason Poll
LMU was chosen as the favorite to claim the WCC women's basketball title in the 2005-06 WCC preseason poll, as selected by the conference coaches. The Lions, who posted a 16-13 overall record last season and a 9-5 mark in conference play to finish in second place, will be seeking their second WCC championship in the last three years. The Lions received 59 points in the poll, including four first place votes, to edge defending champion Gonzaga. Santa Clara, the 2005 WCC Tournament champion, was picked third and received the remaining first place vote. Pepperdine, which returns six letterwinners, and Saint Mary's, which returns eight letterwinners, tied for the No. 4 spot with 36 points. San Francisco was selected sixth with 25 points, followed by San Diego with 21 points and Portland with 12 points. Additionally, LMU guard Rachael Ziemann was named one of the top returning players in the WCC.
Looking Ahead
The Lions will break for Christmas before heading to the Northeast for the Dartmouth Tournament on Dec. 29-30. LMU will take on Lafayette in the first round of the tournament, and will face either host Dartmouth or Akron on the second day.
Lions On TV
Two LMU games are scheduled to be on TV this season. LMU at Pepperdine on January 28th will be broadcast on Fox Sports West 2 as part of the WCC package. When LMU hosts Pepperdine, CSTV will broadcast the game. To accomodate this broadcast, the game time has been moved to 5:00pm. Please note the change.
Lions Down Under
LMU started its season a few months early and few miles away from Los Angeles when the Lions took a 10 day tour of Australia in May. The team toured the country, playing five games, and visiting Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns. Transfers Ashlee Dunlap and Sara Brown wore the LMU jersey for the first time, and the team was able to practice for 10 days in the spring before the trip.
Lions All-Access
For the third straight year, every LMU women's basketball game will be broadcast live on LMU's website at www.LMULions.com. This year, LMU has teamed up with CSTV to provide Lions' All-Access. In addition to audio for all games, streaming video will be available for all LMU home games. Angie Kiel and Patrick Duggan return for the second year as the voices of the Lions to provide play by play, along with insight and analysis for every Lion broadcast. Check www.LMULions.com for more information on Lions' All-Access.
