Jan. 31, 2008

Box Score

San Diego, CA - Head Coach Julie Wilhoit was denied on her first attempt at career win number 300 as San Diego handed LMU a 72-56 defeat in a West Coast Conference game Thursday night at Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego. The Lions (11-10, 3-3 WCC) see their two-game winning streak come to an end while the Toreros (10-10, 1-5 WCC) gain their first conference victory of the season with their third straight win over the Lions.

Senior Amanda DeCoud led the Lions with 17 points, adding five rebounds and three assists. Freshman Renahy Young posted her sixth straight double-digit outing with 15 points, 13 in the second half, and senior Valerie Ogoke just missed a double-double with nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

LMU had no answer for USD's Sam Child, who scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds while making the big baskets to hold off LMU. Amber Sprague added a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds with Kiva Herman chipping in 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lions struggled from the floor all night, finishing at 32.4% (22-for-68) and 20.8% (5-for-24) from three-point range after starting 1-for-11. USD shot 52.7% (29-for-55) overall and 44.4% (4-for-9) from long distance. LMU turned the ball over just 10 times to USD's 18 but was out-rebounded 47-32.

The Lions had their hands full with Herman and Child from the start as they combined for 17 of USD's first 19 points to help the home side open up a 19-11 advantage at 11:29 of the first half. LMU was struggling from the outside, missing their first eight three-pointers, but made the adjustment and went inside, with two straight layups by freshman Melanie Ysaguirre cutting it to 19-15. Still, the Lions could not stop Herman and Child as they scored 24 points in a row during one stretch as USD rattled off a 15-4 run to take charge at 34-19 and go into the locker room leading 37-24.

LMU trailed by as many as 20, 48-28, before Young and DeCoud stepped up on the defensive end. Young scored six of LMU's first 10 points of the second half with her steal and coast-to-coast layup bringing it to 48-34. Back-to-back three-pointers by the pair and a layup from DeCoud had the Lions back within 11, 53-42, at 11:01 as they combined for 16 consecutive LMU points.

USD maintained its double-digit lead until the 5:16 mark, when Ogoke grabbed an offensive rebound and fed sophomore Lisa Helmers for a three to pull LMU back to 63-54. That would be as close as the Lions would get as Child cut to the lane for a hoop and the Torero lead never again dipped below 10.

Wilhoit takes her second shot at 300 on Saturday when LMU continues its road trip at San Francisco.