Feb. 24, 2010

Complete Release in PDF Format

Upcoming Schedule

This week's TEAM LMU Games of the Week will be Thursday's women's basketball game and Saturday's women's tennis match, both against San Diego. The purpose of TEAM LMU is to bring Lion fans together as one, creating an atmosphere that helps build the Lions into champions, while allowing all to enjoy the benefits of our corporate partners. For more information about TEAM LMU, log on to www.LMULions.com/teamlmu.

Briefly
Twenty-six games and almost four months since it began, the 2009-10 regular season comes to an exciting conclusion this week as LMU closes out its home schedule with seeding for next week's West Coast Conference Tournament on the line. The Lions, who are in a tie for fifth place in the standings, still have an outside shot at fourth place and a first-round bye. The week starts on Thursday with a visit from fourth-place San Diego, with a single game separating the two squads. It will be an emotional day on Saturday, when the Lions welcome in second-place Saint Mary's and say goodbye to five seniors playing their final game in Gersten Pavilion.

Saturday is Senior Day
As is the tradition, the last home game of each year is Senior Day and this year, the Lions will be honoring five seniors in their final appearance at Gersten Pavilion. The festivities will begin Saturday with a pre-game ceremony honoring fifth-year senior Jenna Sybesma, seniors Kavita Goss and Lisa Helmers, and redshirt juniors Maggie Burkett and Aleyse Evans, all of whom will be ending their LMU careers this year. Here's a quick look at each player:
#12 Lisa Helmers - Two-time team captain, 2nd all-time at LMU in career 3-pointers made (149), tied for 9th in career games played (111). Sociology major. Two-time Academic All-WCC.
#20 Aleyse Evans - 70 career games. Started 25 contests in 2008-09, averaging career-best 6.5 ppg and 7.1 rpg. History major.
#31 Maggie Burkett - 58 career games. Started three contests this season. Psychology major.
#32 Jenna Sybesma - 97 career games. Averaged 10.8 ppg and 4.2 rpg in 2007-08 before missing all of 2008-09 with injury. Graduated with a Sociology degree, currently pursuing a Master's degree in Education.
#33 Kavita Goss - Tied for 6th in career games played (114), 6th in career 3-pointers made (105). Biology major.

WCC Bracket Breakdown
Heading into the last weekend of conference play, many questions have been answered but there is still much to play for in the WCC. What we know: unbeaten Gonzaga has secured the top seed and a bye until Sunday's semifinals. Saint Mary's has also secured at least a first-round bye and a win over Pepperdine Thursday or LMU Saturday will put the Gaels straight into the semis. Pepperdine is third, good enough for a first round bye, and could catch Saint Mary's if it was to sweep this week and Saint Mary's loses twice. At the other end of the table, we also know that Santa Clara and San Francisco will both be playing Friday, as they are tied for seventh, with Santa Clara earning the #7 seed by virtue of a higher RPI than USF.
Now here's where it might get confusing. San Diego currently occupies fourth place and a first-round bye with a 6-6 conference record and Portland and LMU are a game back at 5-7. If San Diego wins both this week (at LMU and at Pepperdine), then it will keep the bye. An LMU win over USD would put the Lions into a tie with USD and their seeding will come down to Saturday's games (USD at Pepperdine and LMU vs. Saint Mary's). If both teams win those games, LMU will jump USD because it beat a higher-positioned team (#2 Saint Mary's) but if both should lose, then tiebreaker scenarios come into play. The teams will have split the season series and their records against common opponents are the same (both swept USF and SCU, split against Portland, and lost both to Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, and Pepperdine). The third tiebreaker is higher RPI, which USD currently holds (167 to 177), although those positions could change after this week's games. Portland, meanwhile, travels to Santa Clara and San Francisco needing to win out. Still following? Good, now on to the rest of the release.

LMU FAN ZONE

LMU Fan Draft
If you think you are the #1 fan of LMU women's basketball, put yourself to the test by logging on to www.LMUfanDraft.com. Only the most die-hard Lion fans will be picked by Coach Wilhoit.

Coming to a Game?
If you are planning to attend a game at LMU this season, then be sure to reserve your tickets today by ordering online at www.LMULions.com or by calling the LMU Ticket Office at (310) 338-LION. The Loyola Marymount University campus is located in Westchester at 1 LMU Drive, approximately four miles north of the Los Angeles International Airport. Visitors must use the main entrance off of Lincoln Blvd. on LMU Drive. Parking for Gersten Pavilion will be in General Parking Lot A.

Media Guide
The 2009-10 Loyola Marymount University women's basketball media guide is now available for download online at www.LMULions.com. This is the only source of copies of the guide.

Lions All-Access
Fans can watch all LMU home games live on the internet through Lions All-Access on www.LMULions.com. In conjunction with CSTV Online, All-Access is the official home to video broadcasts of LMU Athletics. Lions' All-Access will bring all non-televisied home games for men's basketball, women's basketball and women's volleyball. To subscribe to All-Access, click on the "Multimedia" tab on www.LMULions.com.

Lions Audio Network
Once again, in conjunction with Stretch Internet, all LMU home and road games will be broadcast live online at www.LMULions.com. Just click on the "Listen Live" link on the women's basketball home page, then click on "Listen" or "Archive" next to the game of your choice. All broadcasts will be archived within 72 hours of their original airing and will include both the 15-minute pre-game show and post-game interviews.

E-Mail the Radio Team!
Angie Kiel is back as the radio play-by-play voice of LMU women's basketball. She will be joined on broadcasts by Patrick Duggan and Will Callanen. If you have a question for Angie, Patrick, or Will, you can e-mail it to talktothelions@yahoo.com or click on the "Talk to the Lions" link on the LMU women's basketball home page.

LMU Sports Weekly
"LMU Sports Weekly" is a special inside look at LMU Athletics each and every week only through the Lions' Audio Network on Stretch Internet. Airing every Wednesday around 4 p.m., the show will feature interviews, audio highlights, and pregame and postgame interviews. In addition to being able to listen online, fans will also be able to download each and every episode via ITunes Podcasts by searching "LMU" in the . Or find the podcast feed .

Inside the Lions
"Inside the Lions" hosted by Jarred DuBois is a special look into LMU Athletics and its student-athletes in a 10 to 15 minute show hosted by a student-athlete, sophomore men's basketball guard Jarred DuBois. Airing roughly twice a month, each episode will highlight a student-athlete and give an inside look to why LMU is such a special place. In addition, highlights from top games and other game day features will be within the show. Take a look at the newest show or past shows.

Follow the Lions Online
Log on to www.LMULions.com for all the latest info on the Lions, including updated schedules, rosters, player bios, and more. Don't forget to also sign up to follow the Lions on Facebook (Facebook.com/LMULions) and Twitter (Twitter.com/LMULions). Additionally, LMU women's basketball now has its own Facebook page, which can be found at www.Facebook.com/LMUWomensHoops. Coach Julie Wilhoit also will be on Twitter this year - find her at CoachJules.

Vita's Voice
For more inside information, follow along with senior Kavita Goss as she blogs weekly about the team, classes, and anything else that catches her fancy. Just click on "Vita's Voice" on the sidebar at the LMU women's basketball home page.