Dec. 30, 2009

Angie Kiel's postgame interview with Coach Wilhoit from Podcast Center.
Audio highlights from Podcast Center.

Box Score

Los Angeles - LMU closed out its non-conference schedule by knocking down 12 three-pointers in a 74-68 victory over Seattle University on Wednesday evening in Gersten Pavilion. The Lions (7-7) post their 11th straight season with a non-conference record at or above .500 in winning their first-ever meeting against the Redhawks (3-14), who have now dropped five straight.

All day long, LMU was baited by the Seattle zone into shooting from long range. The Lions obliged, hoisting a season-high 34 attempts and knocking down 12 (35.3%), one off the school-record of 13 set at Long Beach State on November 16, 2009. The Lions shot 38.2% (26-for-68) overall and were a solid 90.9% (10-for-11) at the free throw line.

LMU's three-point barrage helped them open up a 15-point second half lead but Seattle's persistence made it a close game at the end, as junior Renahy Young's free throws down the stretch clinched the win. Young broke out of a two-game scoring slump to finish with a team-high 16 points, with 14 coming in the second half. Senior Lisa Helmers shook off a bloody nose in the second half to add a season-high 13 points. The Lions got a huge lift from their reserves, who outscored the Seattle bench 26-6, including 10 points from senior Jenna Sybesma. Leading scorer sophomore Alex Cowling had seven points and six rebounds while junior Melanie Ysaguirre pulled down a game-high nine boards.

Four players scored in double figures for Seattle, led by Elle Kerfoot's 20. Maggie McCarthy had 19 points and eight rebounds, with Tatiana Heck chipping in 11 points and seven boards and Ashley Brown contributing 10 points.

Seattle shot 48% (24-for-50) for the game, including 41.2% (7-for-17) from three-point land and 81.3% (13-for-16) from the line. The Redhawks committed 18 turnovers to LMU's 11 and were out-rebounded 35-34.

On a cold and rainy day outside Gersten, the Redhawks felt right at home in the early going, jumping out to a 7-0 lead thanks to five points from McCarthy. At the other end, Seattle was sitting back in a zone, tempting the Lions into long-range shots. LMU followed suit, with 11 of its first 20 shots coming from three-point range, but was unable to find its stroke, hitting just two of the 11. Despite their early shooting woes, the Lions were able to climb back by exploiting the holes in the zone for offensive rebounds. LMU grabbed 10 o-boards in the first half, leading to 12 second-chance points.

After trailing for the first 11 ½ minutes, the Lions pulled level at 14-all on a pair of free throws by sophomore Candice Nichols at the 8:33 mark. Four minutes later, they had their first lead, as Sybesma twirled in the lane for a layup, giving the Lions a 21-19 advantage. LMU, which came into the contest averaging 17 three-point attempts per game, topped that in the first half alone, firing 19 shots from long range. LMU's bench was picking up the slack, holding a 19-0 scoring advantage over Seattle's bench in the first half to help the Lions to a 31-27 lead at the break despite a combined two points from leading scorers Cowling and Young.

LMU continued firing from long range in the second half, starting the period with four straight triples from sophomore Candice Nichols, Helmers, Young, and Cowling to help the Lions open up a double-digit lead, 43-30.

The school single-game record for three-pointers made in a game was in jeopardy throughout the second half, although the Lions would ultimately come up short. LMU's first 18 points of the half all came from long-range and the lead ballooned to 15, 51-36, on two free throws from Young with 13:26 left, LMU's first points of the half that didn't come from beyond the arc. The previous season high of 28 three-point attempts was passed at the 11:59 mark.

The game tightened up over the final 10 minutes as Seattle mounted a 12-2 run to get back to 57-55 with 6:00 left. Five different Redhawks scored during the run, with Samantha Messersmith getting things going with a pair of baskets and Brown capping it with a layup. After Cowling grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it in, McCarthy knocked down a long three from the top of the key to make it a one-point game.

The teams traded baskets until Cassidy Murillo found Kerfoot in the corner for her fourth triple, tying the game at 63 with 3:05 left. After Ysaguirre got loose inside for a layup, Brown connected on a three to give Seattle its first lead since the 2:19 mark of the first half.

LMU rallied down the stretch, though. Helmers, who had left the game earlier after taking a Kerfoot elbow to her nose, answered Brown's three with a banked jumper, putting the Lions back ahead. After a pair of defensive stops, Nichols gave the Lions a four-point cushion by knocking down a straightaway three, LMU's 12th of the game, with 42 seconds left.

Following a Seattle timeout, Murillo found McCarthy alone under the basket to cut LMU's lead in half. Seattle then fouled Young, who rattled in both free throws to restore the two-possession game. Ysaguirre then drew an offensive foul from Kerfoot but Young missed the front end of the one-and-one and fouled Murillo going for the rebound to give the Redhawks some hope. Murillo's front end was off-line, however, and Young made sure to connect on both with 5.1 on the clock to clinch the win.

The Lions open up West Coast Conference play on Saturday, January 9 at Pepperdine at 4:00 p.m.