Feb. 6, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Briefly
After three straight games on the road, LMU returns to Gersten Pavilion for the first of two remaining home stands in the thick of the West Coast Conference race. The festivities tip off Thursday against defending conference champions Gonzaga as the Lions bring awareness to breast cancer research on "Think Pink" night. The quick home stand concludes Saturday at 2 p.m. vs. Portland.

Follow The Lions Live On The Web!
Angela Kiel and Patrick Duggan return as the voices of Lion's women's basketball on Lions All-Access this season. For the fourth straight season, all LMU women's basketball games will be broadcast live on www.LMULions.com. Loyola Marymount University, in conjunction with Stretch Internet, is proud to present, FREE, live audio broadcasts over the World Wide Web on www.LMULions.com. Just click on the "Listen" or "Archive" link next to the game of your choice (you will be automatically directed to download QuickTime if it's not yet installed on your computer). All broadcasts will be archived within 72 hours of their original airing and will include both the pre-game and post-game shows. All Thursday WCC games will be simulcast live on KXLU 88.9 FM.

Media Guide
The 2007-08 LMU women's basketball media guide is available for download at www.lmulions.com. Copies may also be purchased for $15 from the LMU Media Relations Office.

LMULions.com Gets Facelift
Be sure to visit www.LMULions.com for all the up-to-date information on the Lions. The site recently underwent an overhaul and visual upgrade. Also check out the player diaries and photographs from LMU's December trip to Washington, D.C.

Wilhoit Notches 300th Win
Already the winningest coach in LMU women's basketball history, Head Coach Julie Wilhoit reached a personal milestone on February 2 at San Francisco with her 300th career victory. In her 20-year coaching career, her breakdown includes 88 wins in five seasons at IUPUI, 33 wins in two years at Pitt-Bradford, and 179 wins in the last 13 seasons at LMU. Since taking over an LMU program that had only five winning seasons in its first 14 years, Wilhoit has guided the Lions to five more winning campaigns, including each of the last four years, and the 2003-04 WCC Championship.

Lions Join Push to "Think Pink"
LMU has teamed up with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and over 600 high school, junior college, college, and AAU teams in the "Think Pink" initiative, designed to raise awareness for breast cancer. The Lions will host their "Think Pink" event at the Gonzaga home game on Thursday, February 7. Fans who wear pink will be admitted for $2 and the first 500 fans will receive a free t-shirt. The game will also be "Pack the House Night" as LMU attempts to set a new single-game attendance record.

About Gonzaga (16-6, 7-0 WCC)
Gonzaga completed the first half of WCC play with an unblemished record after convincing wins over Saint Mary's and Santa Clara at home last week. The Bulldogs forced Saint Mary's into 29 turnovers and outscored the Gaels 38-13 off turnovers in a 74-50 victory. Heather Bowman led a balanced attack with 21 points. In a matchup of the top two teams in the league on Saturday, the Zags made sure there was no question which team was dominant, jumping out to a 25-9 lead early and cruising to an 88-52 victory. Bowman had 26 points and Vivian Frieson added 19. Bowman averages 19.8 ppg and 8.4 rpg on 53.6% shooting to lead Gonzaga. Jami Bjorklund is shooting 52% and adding 10.4 ppg while Michelle Elliott is at 10.1 ppg. The Zags are the top-scoring team in the league at 76.7 ppg and also lead the conference in shooting percentage (45%), rebounding (42 rpg), and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.98). Kelly Graves is 136-99 in eight seasons in Spokane and 202-125 in 11 years as a head coach. The Zags went 24-10 in 2006-07, winning the WCC regular season and tournament titles with a 13-1 conference record. They fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Middle Tennessee State. Seven letterwinners and three starters return. Gonzaga has won five straight over the Lions and seven of the last eight following its 81-65 victory in Spokane on January 12. The Bulldogs hold a 23-21 lead in the all-time series but LMU has gone 14-7 at home.

About Portland (13-9, 3-4 WCC)
At home last week, Portland split its games in a couple close contests, falling to Santa Clara 61-58 and beating Saint Mary's 80-78. Against the Broncos, the Pilots led by five with 2:42 left but SCU finished the game on a 10-2 run, with Chandice Cronk's three-pointer with five seconds left proving the deciding margin. Allyson Sievers had 17 points, Laiken Dollente added 13, and Rachel Warrn chipped in 10. On Saturday, the Pilots gave Head Coach Jim Sollars his 130th WCC victory at Portland, giving him more conference victories than any coach in the 20-year history of the league. Portland almost did not get the win as the Gaels rallied from a 17-point deficit to take a three-point lead. Laura Thomas pulled UP within one and Karlie Burris made a steal and was fouled intentionally. After hitting one of two to tie the game, Thomas' layup with six seconds left gave the Pilots the victory. Dollente averages 15.0 ppg to pace the Pilots. No other Portland player is in double figures but Warren (9.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Kendra Morris (9.0 ppg) help carry the load. Sollars is in his 22nd season at Portland, posting a record of 298-327. He is 475-409 in 32 seasons as a head coach overall. Last year, the Pilots went 10-20, placing eighth in the WCC with a 2-12 mark. They return 12 letterwinners and four starters. Freshman Renahy Young scored 20 points, including the game-winning layup with 12 seconds left to lift LMU to a 73-71 victory at Portland on January 10. The win was the Lions' 10th in a row over the Pilots and brought the all-time series to 23-19 in UP's favor. LMU is 12-8 against the Pilots at Gersten Pavilion.

Last Week Recap: Lions Split as Wilhoit Hits Milestone
Entering the week with 299 career victories, Head Coach Julie Wilhoit took her first two shots at 300 at San Diego and San Francisco. In a nationally-televised game on Thursday at USD, The Lions ran into a juggernaut named Sam Child as the Torero freshman scored a career-high 27 points to lead USD to a 53% shooting night and 72-56 win. Senior Amanda DeCoud led the Lions with 17 points and freshman Renahy Young added 15. Given a second shot at 300 on Saturday at USF, the Lions came through, staving off a late Don rally for a 68-64 victory. The Lions played a fine all-around game, holding USF to 36% shooting in the second half and committing only 10 turnovers. Young had her second consecutive 15-point outing and DeCoud and junior Jenna Sybesma each had 11.

Quick Hits
The magic number seems to be 70, as in LMU is 8-0 when scoring 70 or more points and 8-0 when allowing 70 or fewer. The Lions are 9-1 when leading at halftime and 8-2 when shooting better than 40%. Close games are also favorable as LMU is 5-1 when the game is decided by five points or fewer.

And a Freshman Shall Lead Them
The changing of the calendar into the new year coincided with a changing of the guard on the court. Since the first day of 2008, freshman Renahy Young has been on fire, leading the Lions in scoring in each of their first five WCC games and six of their first seven. She has been a scoring machine, reaching double figures in each of the first seven conference games to average 16.1 ppg (seventh in the WCC) in conference play. Handed her first career start at Portland, Young responded with 20 points, including the game-winning layup with 12 seconds left. She continued to roll with 14 points at Gonzaga, 18 vs. Santa Clara, 17 vs. Saint Mary's, 14 at Pepperdine, and 15 each at San Diego and San Francisco. For the year, Young has taken over the team lead at 11.2 ppg (14th in the WCC) and has reached double figures in 10 contests. She has three 20+ point performances and has led the team in scoring eight times, both of which top the squad. Young recorded back-to-back 23-point outings in which she shot 70% from the floor against Fresno State and Cal Poly. She also had 11 points in her collegiate debut at Boise State.

Monsters on the Boards
One noticeable difference between the 2007-08 Lions and their predecessors is evident in the rebounding category. Last season, LMU averaged 37 rebounds a game and a shade under 13 offensive rebounds a game. Already this season they have bumped those numbers up to 41.1 total (third in the WCC) and 14.1 offensive rebounds per game. The Lions have controlled the glass in 10 games, posting a 7-3 record in those contests. They have grabbed 50 or more rebounds in a game four times, including 60 in the double-overtime win vs. Cal State Bakersfield and 59 in regulation vs. Saint Mary's, each ranking in the single-game top-10. A big reason for the increase has been the play of senior Valerie Ogoke and redshirt freshman Aleyse Evans. The duo is combining for 14.3 rebounds per game, and each ranks in the conference's top 20. Ogoke is fourth in the WCC at 8.4 rpg with Evans 13th at 5.9. Between the two, they have 12 double-digit rebounding games and have pulled down 10+ in the same game three times. But rebounding is a team effort and the Lions have seven players averaging 3.0 rebounds or more per game.

Oh, Mandy
The cog that keeps the Lion offense and defense rolling continues to be senior Amanda DeCoud. DeCoud has led the Lions in scoring seven times and is the second scorer overall at 10.6 ppg. She is also averaging team-highs of 4.1 assists (fourth in the WCC), 2.3 steals (second), and 31.4 minutes to go along with 3.5 rebounds per game. DeCoud has scored in double figures in a team-high 12 games, including a career-high 21 against Cal Poly. True to her role as a point guard, she has dished five or more assists in a game 10 times, including a career-high nine against Saint Mary's. The reigning WCC Defender of the Year showed her all-around game at the Ayres Hotel Thanksgiving Tournament, averaging 10.0 points, 5.0 assists, 3.5 steals, and 3.0 rebounds to take home MVP honors. DeCoud is 16th in the conference in scoring and fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.45) to rank among the leaders in four categories. She continues to climb the LMU career charts, currently in fourth place in steals (214) and in fifth place in assists (320). Barring injury, she will move into the LMU top-10 in career games played this week and tie for second in the first-round game at the WCC Tournament.

Showing Her Val-ue
Senior Valerie Ogoke is breaking out of the shadows of the departed Ashlee Dunlap and Jennifer Hall. Given an increased role in the guard-oriented Lion offense, Ogoke is averaging 7.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while providing a defensive presence with 38 blocks and 27 steals. She has seven double-digit rebounding outings, including an LMU junior record and career-high 18 boards against Cal State Bakersfield, and two double-doubles. Ogoke is fourth all-time at LMU with 131 career blocks. Ogoke just missed her new career-high with 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting vs. Santa Clara but followed it up with eight points and 12 boards against Saint Mary's. She had one of the finest all-around games by a Lion this season against UC Irvine, going 5-for-9 from the floor and scoring 10 points to go along with eight rebounds, six steals, four blocks, and two assists in 30 minutes. Ogoke was a key component of the Lions' wins at the Ayres Hotel Thanksgiving Tournament, averaging 10.0 ppg and 9.5 rpg, including a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds in the championship game. She also had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes in the season opener at Boise State. Ogoke is first in the WCC in offensive rebounds per game (3.59), fourth in total rebounds, sixth in defensive rebounds (4.77), fourth in blocked shots (1.73 per game), and 12th in field goal percentage (44.9%). In conference play, she is averaging 8.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg, and shooting 49.0%.

Helmers Hits Threes
If you're looking for the biggest jump in scoring average from last season, that achievement belongs to sophomore Lisa Helmers. After averaging 1.5 ppg in 25 appearances off the bench as a freshman, Helmers is the only player to start all 22 games thus far and is averaging 8.3 ppg overall. She is a certifiable threat from downtown, making a team-high 46 three-pointers, sixth-most in a single season at LMU. She is fourth in the WCC in makes per game (2.09) and 12th in 3-point percentage (30.7%). After back-to-back nine point outings to start the season tied for her career-high, she topped it with 12 points vs. UC Santa Barbara, followed it with 12 more against Jackson State, and continued her roll with 16 points in the Ayres Hotel Thanksgiving Tournament final. She led the Lions in scoring in both games at the tournament, averaging 14.0 ppg and sinking eight treys. Helmers tied her career-high with 16 points, including 14 after halftime, against Cal State Bakersfield, earning All-Tournament honors.

(Sometime) Bench Warrior
Junior Jenna Sybesma has buoyed between the starting lineup and the first post player on the bench, turning in some tremendous offensive outings. After a slow start in which she shot 3-for-10 and scored a combined six points in the season's first two games, she broke out for 98 points on 59% shooting over the next nine. Sybesma's streak started at Long Beach State when she had career-highs of 13 points and four steals in 22 minutes. She also had nine points in 15 minutes against Jackson State and 10 points (on 5-for-7 from the floor) at #12 Cal. She topped all of those with a new career-high of 19 points, six rebounds, and three assists at NAU. Sybesma carried the Lions that game, scoring 15 of her points after halftime, including 13 of LMU's 15 during one 10-minute stretch. She followed that with 19 more points in the win over Fresno State. Sybesma exploded at the Hilton LAX Holiday Tournament, scoring a career- and LMU season-high 29 points in the semifinal vs. Cal State Bakersfield. Sybesma was 11-for-20 from the floor and tied the game in regulation with her first career three-pointer. She also added a career-high 14 rebounds for her first double-double at LMU. Her efforts earned her a place on the All-Tournament Team. In the WCC opener at Portland, Sybesma had 18 points off the bench, including an improbable 25-foot banked three-pointer with over a minute to go and the shot clock winding down that helped LMU to the two-point win. Overall, she is fourth on the team at 8.1 points and adds 3.6 rebounds in 19.0 mpg. She is eighth in the WCC in field goal percentage at 49.0%.

Bench Warrior (Part II)
Another in the endless line of sophomore guards making an impact is Kavita Goss. She has established new career-highs for points on four separate occasions and led the Lions in scoring twice. Goss tied her career-high with nine points at Long Beach State, then tied it again with a solid 4-for-7 effort in the Ayres Hotel Tournament title game. At #12 Cal, Goss came off the bench for a career-high 12 points to lead all Lion. Goss was a bright spot at Georgetown, scoring 14 first-half points and finishing with a career-high 17 points on five three-pointers. In the first week of WCC play, Goss averaged 9.5 ppg, following it up with 13 points off the bench at Pepperdine. She has raised her per-game average to 5.8 points and is second on the team with 21 makes from downtown, ranking her 15th in the WCC. Goss has also taken care of the ball, with her 1.07 assist/turnover ratio second on the team.

New Kid on the Block
Redshirt freshman Aleyse Evans has made the most of her opportunities after sitting out last season. Evans started eight of the first nine games before falling into a comfortable role off the bench. Since WCC play began, however, she has regained her starting role and been tenacious on the glass, averaging 7.3 rpg (eighth in the league), including a career-high 15 boards against Saint Mary's, a game in which she also had eight points and four blocked shots. She has tied her career-high of eight points three times in the last five games. Evans is second on the team in overall rebounding and blocked shots at 5.9 rpg and 0.9 bpg (both ranking among the WCC leaders) while adding 3.2 ppg in just 16.3 minutes a game. She has shown aggressiveness pursuing the boards, with five games of double-digit rebounds. In her collegiate debut at Boise State, Evans tied for the game-high with 10 rebounds in just 16 minutes off the bench. That was enough to earn her first career start at UNLV. She responded with 12 boards and her second straight six-point outing. She had back-to-back 11-rebound games at the Ayres Hotel Thanksgiving Tournament. At Gonzaga, Evans had one of her best all-around games with eight points and nine rebounds.

Gimme Moore
Junior Cassady Moore got off to a fast start, putting up back-to-back 12 point outings in the season's first two games. A knee injury sidelined her for the next five contests and she has been slow to regain form, averaging 4.9 ppg and 2.6 rpg. A starter in 11 games, Moore gives the Lions a defensive intensity alongside DeCoud, swiping 34 steals, the second-most on the team. At the time of her injury, Moore was leading the Lions in scoring (12.0 ppg) and assists (3.5 per game). Against Cal State Bakersfield, Moore had her first double-digit scoring game since the opening week with 10 points.

Freshmen No Slouches
Coach Wilhoit said they were athletic and would contribute right away and she was right. Freshmen Renahy Young and Melanie Ysaguirre have each been solid contributors in their collegiate debuts. Ysaguirre has slowed down from her blistering start when she was shooting over 60% in non-conference play but is still averaging 3.9 ppg and 3.2 rpg on 53.4% shooting in 12.7 mpg. Ysaguirre had her break-out game at Northern Arizona, scoring a career-high 10 points on 5-for-9 from the floor. She had a tremendous all-around performance with eight points and nine rebounds in 19 minutes vs. UC Irvine and made her first career start at Georgetown. Against Kansas State, she had six points and seven rebounds.

Vargas Out for the Year
The Lions suffered a blow on December 5 when sophomore Jessica Vargas fell awkwardly with 2:25 left. Everyone's worst fears were confirmed when it was determined that Vargas had torn her ACL and would miss the remainder of the season. A starter in six games, Vargas had back-to-back career-highs in her first two starts, scoring 11 points at Long Beach State before exploding for 17 points (and seven rebounds) in the home opener vs. UCSB. She was one of the most efficient players on the court, shooting 51.8% from the floor and pulling down 4.6 rebounds per game, including 19 on the offensive end. The good news is that Vargas should be able to petition for a medical redshirt.

Home Sweet Home
LMU's victory over Saint Mary's was its seventh triumph at Gersten Pavilion this season, marking the program's fourth straight season of seven victories at home. The Lions are 7-3 at home thus far in 2007-08, including a five-game home winning streak from November 24-December 28. With five home contests remaining on the schedule, the Lions are in good position to post their eighth consecutive season of above-.500 home ball. For those inquiring minds, the school record for home victories is 12, set in 1989-90 and 2003-04.

LMU vs. the Nation
According to collegerpi.com, LMU is ranked 109th with a strength of schedule of 90. The NCAA has the Lions ranked 122nd. In the national statistics, Valerie Ogoke is the only Lion to rank in the top-100. She is 67th in blocked shots per game and 86th in rebounds per game. As a team, the Lions are 96th in blocked shots with 3.9 per game.

Dynamic Duo
Against Cal Poly, freshman Renahy Young and senior Amanda DeCoud proved a lethal combination. Young led the way with 23 points with DeCoud just behind with 21 in the victory. It was the first time since January 31, 2004 that LMU had two players score 20-plus points in the same game (Kate Murray, 28, and Adrianne Slaughter, 20).

I Can't Drive 55
Fans who witnessed LMU's second half explosion against Fresno State saw what the up-tempo Lion offense is capable of when it gets clicking. The Lions shot 63% en route to 55 points in the come-from-behind victory. The 55 points are the most scored in a half by LMU since it put up 56 against Santa Clara on February 23, 2006.

I Love the 80's
LMU's offense took off with back-to-back 80-point performances against Fresno State and Cal Poly. It marked the first time since 2000 that the Lions had reached the 80-point plateau in consecutive games.

Is 47 a record?
LMU's 47 free throw attempts against Cal Poly was the most since going to the line 44 times at UC Irvine on November 21, 2005. As far as it being an LMU single-game record, nobody is sure. We do know that the Lions attempted 45 free throws on January 17, 2001, when they set the single-game record for makes with 34. Unfortunately, the record books are incomplete for the years before then so we're unsure if LMU attempted more than 47 free throws in any of the other games on the free throws made list. If you are reading this and know the answer, please contact the LMU athletics media relations office.

Winning Months
LMU's 4-3 mark in the opening month of play was its second consecutive winning November and eighth of the last nine Novembers that the Lions have posted a winning mark. With a 4-4 ledger in December and 3-3 in January LMU has now registered 12 consecutive months of .500 or better.

A Historic Night
Fans in attendance at LMU's victory over Cal State Bakersfield witnessed one of the greatest games in program history. In addition to being the first double-overtime game LMU has ever played, the teams and individuals combined to feature on several records lists. Among them are: • LMU's 95 points are tied for the third-most in program history. • LMU's 60 rebounds were the sixth-most in a game ever. • Jenna Sybesma's 29 points tied for the second-most by a junior and she came one free throw away from LMU's 10th 30-point performance. • Senior Valerie Ogoke's 18 rebounds tied for the second-most in a game and were the most ever by an LMU senior. They were also the most by a WCC player this season. • The 185 points scored by both teams was the third-highest combination ever, trailing only the 190 points against UC Riverside on December 1, 1981 (LMU 91, UCR 99) and the 188 at San Diego on February 21, 1991 (LMU 95, USD 93, OT).

Winning Non-Conference Slate
With an 8-7 record through the non-conference schedule, LMU posted its second consecutive winning season outside of WCC play. Under Coach Wilhoit, LMU has recorded a winning non-conference record seven times, including six of the last eight years.