Nov. 22, 2011
| LMULIONS.COM GAMEDAY:
GAME: Game 04 - LMU at Idaho State
DATE/TIME: Nov. 23, 2011 6:05 p.m. (PST)
LOCATION: Reed Gym Pocatello, ID
TV: None
RADIO: KXLU 88.9 FM (Jeff Lampe)
WEBCAST: Big Sky Network
LIVE Stats: None
RESOURCES: |
As the holiday season approaches and with it one of the longest homestands in LMU history (six games), the Lions will head north for its second of four non-conference road games of the season. LMU (1-2) will travel to Pocatello, Idaho, to face Idaho State (1-2) the day before Thanksgiving, Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 6:05 p.m. (PST) It will be just the fourth trip to the state of Idaho for the Lions, traveling to the ISU campus for the third time. The game can be heard on KXLU 88.9 FM and through LMULions.com.
INSIDE THE LIONS
LMU enters game three of the young 2011-12 season at 1-2, dropping a 77-67 decision to Ivy League favorite Harvard on Saturday, Nov. 19... The Lions have been taking care of the basketball, averaging just 11.0 turnovers per game heading into game four of the season. Through three games, it is the lowest turnover average since 2004-05 when the Lions had just 29 turnovers (9.7). Although early, the Lions lead the league with the lowest turnover average and are tied with a +3.3 assist/turnover ratio. The lowest turnover average in school history was 11.7 in 1983-84 with the second lowest coming two years ago in 2009-10 at 12.9 tpg... The Lions opened the season with a 69-58 win over No. 17 UCLA on the road. It was the first time the Lions have opened a season with a ranked opponent since UNLV in the 1989-90 season... The Lions defeated 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)... Sophomore Anthony Ireland has picked up where he left off his true freshman season. Ireland scored 24 points in the season finale last year and then went for 22 points against UCLA. He erupted for a career-high 26 against Harvard, hitting 9-for-19 from the field and 7-for-8 from the charity stripe. Ireland leads the Lions with 17.3 points, while also ranking first in assists (4.33 apg) and second in rebounds (4.0 rpg). He is ranked fifth in the WCC in scoring and fifth in assists... The Lions hit 10 three-pointers in the win over UCLA, 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. Through three games, the Lions are hitting 40.7 percent from long range and rank third in the WCC.
GAME 04
The Lions began the season on the road at UCLA and then began a stretch playing eight of their next nine at home. They have hit that one game on the road as they travel to Idaho State the day before thanksgiving. Idaho State has an identical record to that of the Lions, defeating Colorado Christian at home, 93-66, on Nov. 18. The Bengals started with a pair on the road, falling at Oklahoma by just four points, 78-74, on Nov. 11 and then falling at North Dakota, 63-47, on Nov. 14. Andrew Hatchett leads the Bengals with 11.3 points per game. Five players average better than 8.0 per game... Coach Good on Idaho State: "They do a great job running a system that fits their players. They have quick guards up front and great size defensively. They will run zone pretty much the entire game and with their size inside and speed upfront, we will see a full court trap to zone. We have to be prepared to fight as they are very good on the offensvie boards and will look to push the ball in transition."
IDAHO STATE and THE BIG SKY
The Lions are a little more familiar with the Big Sky than their last two opponents representing the Ivy League and Sun Belt Conferences. This is the sixth meeting between Idaho State and LMU with the Lions holding a 3-2 edge in the series. Both teams have held home court advantage, both winning a pair while LMU won on a neutral floor. The Lions have played a member of the Big Sky the last two seasons, playing Portland State and Sacramento State in 2010-11 and Montana and Sac. St. in 2009-10. The Lions are 20-22 against the current members of the Big Sky with states of Montana and Utah not being kind, going 19-5 against teams in the conferece not from those states.
THE ROSTER
Junior Ashley Hamilton, who was the Lions' leading scorer after two games, played 16 minutes against Harvard, scoring eight points before he left with a injury to his right foot. He is likely out for the game against Idaho State. Two-time All-WCC selection Drew Viney will have the start of his redshirt senior season delayed due to surgery on 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... Redshirt sophomore Alex Osborne played one game to start the 2010-11 season before it was decided to redshirt him. NCAA rules require a two-for-one the following season, requiring Osborne to miss the first two games of 2011-12. He is available to play Saturday.
DEFENSE
LMU's defense, according to Head Coach Max Good, has been solid in the Lions' first three games. The Lions are fourth in the WCC allowing just 64.3 points per game while leading the league in three-point defense, holding opponents to just 25.5 percent from long range.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Lions continue to rely heavily on its youth with just three seniors on the roster. The Lions are playing 35.5 minutes of the 40 minutes per game with non-seniors on the floor. Here is a look at some individual notes from the Lions' young roster this season.
Anthony Ireland has scored 22 or more points in three of his last four games, while averaging 20 points per game dating back to the Lions' finale against Santa Clara last seaosn. His 26-point effort Saturday was the second best point performance in the WCC this season and he leads the Lions at 17.3 points and 4.3 assists per game. On the season he has 13 assists to just five turnovers while ranking second on the team with 4.0 rebounds per contest. His 3.3 assist to turnover ratio is second in the league.
Godwin Okonji finished his freshman season averaging 5.4 rebounds with 38 blocks to lead the Lions. He finally broke out in his sophomore season on the boards, grabbing nine, three of which were offensive, against Harvard. He leads the team with 5.7 rebounds and has added three blocks to his resume. His 41 career blocks ties Bo Kimble for 22nd all-time at LMU.
Ashley Hamilton earned the first West Coast Conference Player of the Week honor of the season and the first of his career after he averaged 19 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals while hitting 13-for-26 from the field, 10-for-12 from the free throw line and 2-for-3 from long range over the Lions' first two games. He is aveaging 15.3 points and 3.0 rebounds on the season and is shooting 48.4 percent from the floor and 87.5 percent from the free throw line.
Alex Osborne and Bruce English saw their first action on Saturday. Osborne, who sat two games due to redshirt rules, scored six quick points in 13 minutes, going 3-for-3 from the field. For English, it was his first collegiate game, playing four minutes with a free throw.
