Nov. 12, 2011

There was little time to soak in LMU's season-opening win over UCLA (69-58) on Friday night, as the Lions quickly turned their attention to the 41-hour turn-around facing them. After wrapping up at 10 p.m., the Lions return to Gersten Pavilion for the home opener when they face Middle Tennessee State on Sunday at 3 p.m. It is S.A.A.C. Community Service Weekend as fans can bring their shoes and t-shirts to donate at the Soles4Souls Truck, which is on campus Sunday and Monday for opening weekend.

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INSIDE THE LIONS
The Lions opened with No. 17 UCLA, the first time the Lions have opened a season with a ranked opponent since UNLV in the 1989-90 season. LMU didn't disappoint with a 69-58 win... The Lions defeat a ranked opponent for the second time in three tries, defeating #9 Gonzaga on Feb. 19, 2010 and then falling to the Zags on Mar. 7, 2010, 77-62... It was just the third win for the Lions over the Bruins in 18 tries, the first since 1941 (70 years)... Junior Ashley Hamilton and sophomore Anthony Ireland provided a one-two punch for the Lions as they went for 23 and 21 points, respectively. They led a shooting spree from long range, as the Lions hit 10-for-15 from the three-point line (66.7 percent)... The 10 three-pointers made is the most since Jan. 14, 2010 against USF. The 66.7 percent from long range is the best shooting percentage since hitting 8-for-11 against Portland on Jan. 14, 2006. LMU finished the game hitting 45.8 percent from the field, while UCLA hit 40.7 percent... Combined with his 24 points in the final game of his freshman season, Ireland has scored 45 points in his last two games, going 19-for-39 from the field and 5-for-11 from long range... Hamilton's 23 points equalled his career high, scoring 23 against Pepperdine in the WCC first round on Mar. 5, 2010.

GAME 02
The Lions return home to face Middle Tennessee State from the Sun Belt Conference. The game is part of Opening Weekend at LMU sponsored by S.A.A.C., the Loyolan and Soles4Souls. The Soles4Souls Truck will be on Campus Sunday and Monday taking the last of the shoe donations and helping the Lions begin the T-Shirt Drive for 2011-12. It replaces the WCC Shoe Drive, which the Lions have won the last three years. Its all part of Community and Family Day at Gersten Pavilion, which will include the Loyolan Bobblehead as a giveaway... The Blue Raiders are coming off an 80-71 win over Austen Pey in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Friday night. Senior LaRon Dendy led MTSU with 21 points. Dendy, in his Blue Raider debut, was one rebound shy of a double-double with nine rebounds, in addition to three assists, three blocks and a steal. Newcomer Marcos Knight made an immediate impact in his first MT game as well, netting 15 points and eight rebounds. Junior guard James Gallman added 14 points, going 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, and four assists. The Blue Raiders finished the game shooting 55.1 percent, including a 70 percent (14-for-20) clip in the second half... The Blue Raiders returned three starters and four letterwinners from last year's team that finished 16-16 overall and second in the Sun Belt at 10-6. As the East Division's No. 2 seed, they defeated FIU in the quarterfinals 73-38 then lost to Arkansas-Little Rock, 65-56... Coach Good on MTSU: "They might be one of the top teams we play this season. They are explosive, very athletic and very well coached by Kermit Davis, so they play very controlled. They have loaded up with a lot of top transfers that really know how to get up and down and really pressure their opponents. LaRon Dandy was one of the top transfers in the country last year coming out of Iowa State, and he is very good."

MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE and THE SUN BELT
This will be the first meeting between LMU and Middle Tennessee State. The Lions have seen little of the Sun Belt Conference, as the meeting with the Blue Raiders will be just the seventh against teams currently in the conference. This will be the fourth team from the conference the Lions' will have faced in its history, joining South Alabama, Denver and the last team the Lions faced, UALR. The Lions are 3-3 all-time against teams in the Sun Belt.

LAST TIME OUT
LMU decided to get the 2011-12 Centennial Season off to a rousing start, going to the LA Sports Arena and defeating 17th-ranked UCLA 69-58 in front of 5,382 fans on Friday night. Nearly 700 of the fans were in Crimson and Navy and the Lions walked off the court to chants of "LMU, LMU". "What a great way to start for this team and this program," said Head Coach Max Good. "This is just the first game in a long season, but what a first game this was for us. We played very well together and we played the way we need to in order to be successful. As a team. This was a great team win." Junior Ashley Hamilton and sophomore Anthony Ireland provided a one-two punch for the Lions as they went for 23 and 21 points, respectively. The Lions led by as many as eight in the first half, but the Bruins went on a 10-0 run to take a 33-32 lead as the half looked to come to a close. The Lions forced a turnover and took over with five seconds and Ireland hit a bank shot at the buzzer for the lead, 34-33, at the break. The Bruins would fight back and would take a 42-41 lead on a jumper by Travis Wear with just under 14 minutes to play. Led by Ireland and Hamilton, the Lions went on a 12-0 run to take a 53-42 lead with 12 minutes to play. The Burins would slowly cut the lead to five, 55-50, on a lay-in by Reeves Nelson with 7:32 on the clock. Freshman C.J. Blackwell answered with a three-pointer, his third of the game, on an assist from DuBois to give the Lions a 58-50 lead. UCLA would get the lead back to five once again, 60-55 with 5:13 to go, but Ireland hit a lay-in and Hamilton hit his second and third career three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give the Lions a 68-55 with 2:13 to go and put the game away.

THE ROSTER
Two-time All-WCC selection Drew Viney will have the start of his redshirt senior season delayed due to surgery in his left foot. He injured the foot right before the official start of practice in mid-October. He is expected to return at the end of the month... Also out the first two games of the season is redshirt sophomore Alex Osborne. He played one game to start the 2010-11 season before it was decided to redshirt. NCAA rules require a two-for-one the following season, requiring Osborne to miss the first two games of 2011-12.

SEASON OPENERS
The Lions are now 36-21 in season openers since it joined the West Coast Conference in 1955-56, snapping a four-game skid with the win over UCLA. This stretch came after winning five straight openers. The win over the Bruins erases a pair of heartbreakers the last two years - a tough 90-87 setback to Boise State at the Montana tournament in 2009 and 81-79 to Morgan State at home a year ago. The Lions have opened on the road five of the last six years. The Lions will look to win their home opener for the first time since knocking off Oral Roberts on Nov. 10, 2006, a streak of four games. Included in that stretch was a setback to UALR, an 11-point hard fought margin to No. 8 Notre Dame and last year's heartbreaker to Morgan State.

AGAINST THE PAC-12
The meeting against UCLA was 129th all-time meeting between LMU and a member of the Pac-10. With Colorado and Utah added to the mix to make the Pac-12 this season, this was the 156th meeting against the current members of the conference. The Lions have now won the last two they have faced, a 67-59 win at the Galen Center on Nov. 21, 2009 and the 69-58 win on Friday.

AGAINST THE RANKED
The Lions did not face a ranked opponent in 2010-11 and quickly got one under their belts in 2011-12 with No. 17 UCLA. The Lions' last ranked opponent was No. 14 Gonzaga in the semifinals of the 2010 WCC Championships on Mar. 7, 2010. The Lions fell 77-62. Just over two weeks prior, the Lions earned a 74-66 upset win over then No. 9 Gonaga on Feb 18. The Lions have now won two of their last three against ranked teams.

AGAINST THE "BCS"
The game against UCLA was the eighth time under Head Coach Max Good the Lions will play a team from the "BCS" conferences. The Lions are 3-5 in those meetings, defeating USC (67-59). Notre Dame (87-85) and now UCLA (69-58), all on the road. They played only Florida State at home in 2010-11, falling 74-63. The Lions will return that game in Florida on Dec. 18 on ESPNU... Last year's meeting against Florida State was the 44th time they will hosted a school that is a member of the current "BCS." In the last decade, the Lions have hosted Notre Dame (2008), Mississippi State (2007), USC (2005), Washington (2004) and Virginia (2003). The first was in 1949 when Pittsburgh came into Los Angeles. The Lions won that won 54-45. LMU is 15-29 all-time in those games.