Nov. 23, 2011
Complete Release in PDF 
BRIEFLY...
The Lions return to Gersten Pavilion to host the DoubleTree Los Angeles Westside Thanksgiving Classic on Friday, Nov. 25 and Saturday, Nov. 26. The tournament, in its 15th year, begins at 1 p.m. Friday with the first-ever match-up between LMU and Youngstown State. Northern Iowa versus Wyoming follows at 3 p.m. The two winning teams then play in the championship game Saturday at 3 p.m. That match-up is preceded at 1 p.m. by the consolation game featuring Friday's two losing teams.
LIONS' LAST LINE
LMU remains in the hunt for their first win of the 2011-12 season after dropping a 66-49 decision at UC Santa Barbara and a 79-52 final at Cal State Fullerton. Alex Cowling recorded her third consecutive 20-plus point game against the Gauchos, finishing with a game-high 22, but another poor-shooting first half (24 percent) was too much to overcome despite a solid second half performance. Two days later in Fullerton, the offensive struggles continued for the Lions while their opponent shot better than 50 percent in the first half and nailed timely shots in the second half to keep LMU at bay.
TRIO REACH DOUBLE-FIGURES
Despite the loss at Cal State Fullerton, the game did mark the first this season where the Lions had three players score in double figures. Alex Cowling led the way with 11 points while Hazel Ramirez scored a season-high 10 points and freshman forward Ashley Lovett added a career-high 10 points in just 10 minutes of action. The rookie was 4-for-6 from the field and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.
HEAD-TO-HEAD VERSUS YOUNGSTOWN STATE
This will be the Lions first-ever meeting with Youngstown State.
ABOUT THE YOUNGSTOWN STATE PENGUINS (2-2)
Youngstown State enters the week with a 2-2 record, including wins over IPFW, 91-81, and Bucknell, 57-56. Most recently, the Penguins fell 48-41 to American. The 91 points against IPFW has been the one time YSU has surpassed the 60-point mark in a game. Junior forward Brandi Brown leads the way with 15 ppg and 8.3 rpg. Senior guard Kenya Middlebrooks is the team's second leading scorer at 9.3 ppg, followed by redshirt freshman forward Heidi Schlegel at 8.3 ppg. Through four games the Penguins are shooting 32 percent from the field and 23 percent from three while their opponents are hitting at a 43 percent clip overall and 29 percent from three.
HEAD-TO-HEAD VERSUS NORTHERN IOWA
Should the Lions and Northern Iowa meet on Saturday, it would mark the first-ever game between the two programs.
ABOUT THE NORTHERN IOWA PANTHERS (2-1)
Northern Iowa opened the 2011-12 season with back-to-back wins over Colorado State, 61-50, and Chicago State, 88-54, before falling for the first time, 78-74, against in-state rival Iowa. The Panthers are the defending Missouri Valley Conference champions, going 17-1 in the MVC and 27-9 overall, earning an NCAA Tournament bid. Three players average double-figures including senior guard Katelin Oney (15.3 ppg), senior guard Rachel Madrigal (15 ppg) and junior guard Mercedees Morgan (10.3 ppg). The Panthers have shot 43 percent from the field through three games and hold a +13.7 ppg scoring margin.
HEAD-TO-HEAD VERSUS WYOMING
The Lions and Cowgirls have met five times, but not since the 1998-99 season. LMU has two wins in the series, including the first-ever meeting on 1986, a 65-57 final. The Lions other win came in 1992. Wyoming was the victor in the last meeting, a 65-53 decision on Dec. 4, 1998.
ABOUT THE WYOMING COWGIRLS (1-2)
After falling 62-59 to Utah State and 74-49 to Denver, the Cowgirls picked up their first win of the season on Nov. 17, a 69-61 final over Chadron State. Wyoming is a young squad that features six freshmen, two sophomores, three juniors and zero seniors. Junior forward Chaundra Sewell is leading the attack with 15 ppg along with 6.3 rpg while junior forward Ashley Sickles adds 11.3 ppg.
COWLING CLIMBS THE RECORD BOOK RANKS
In just two-plus seasons in an LMU uniform, redshirt junior Alex Cowling has moved into the No. 8 spot in the Lions' all-time record book with 1,140 career points. Cowling was averaging 22.5 ppg (135 points) in just six games last season before being sidelined for the duration with a foot injury. Back to full strength in 2011-12, and is currently just 522 points off the all-time career record of 1,662 held by Bryn Britton (1998-02).
Cowling is also moving up the ranks in a number of career statistical categories. She currently ranks No. 1 in scoring average (16.3 ppg), No. 6 in rebounding average (6.9 rpg), No. 7 in field goals (443), No. 3 in field-goal percentage (.510) and No. 3 in free-throw percentage (.798). She is also knocking on the door of the all-time top 10 in rebounds (482, No. 10 is 515) and free throws (210, No. 10 is 224).
DEANGELIS SETS CAREER MARKS IN SEASON OPENER
Junior guard Monica DeAngelis had a breakout game in the Lions' season opener at Denver, recording career-high marks in points (15), minutes played (29) and field goals (5). She also tied her career-high with three three-pointers. DeAngelis battled injuries last season, only appearing in 15 games and averaging 4.1 ppg.
WELCOME BACK ALEX
Redshirt junior Alex Cowling didn't miss a beat in her first official game in nearly a year, leading the Lions in scoring with 23 points on 11-for-15 shooting. She also added a team-high nine rebounds, coming up just one shy of a double-double. Through four games, Cowing is averaging 19.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg. Cowling was averaging 22.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last season when she was sidelined six games in with a foot injury.
LIONS' GAME AT GONZAGA TO AIR ON CBS SPORTS NETWORK
The West Coast Conference and CBS Sports Network announced that two WCC women's basketball games will air nationally this season. The University of Portland at the University of San Diego will be televised on January 19, 2012 with tip-off scheduled for 6:00 p.m. PT. Loyola Marymount University will visit Gonzaga University the following week on January 26, 2012 with tip-off scheduled for 6:00 p.m. PT. CBS Sports Network can be found on cable and satellite providers nationwide, including DIRECTV channel 613 and DISH Network channel 152.
COWLING NAMED PRESEASON ALL-WCC
Cowling, a redshirt junior for the Lions, was the only non-senior named to the 10-member Preseason All-WCC team. The WCC Newcomer of the Year in 2008-09 and a first team All-WCC selection in 2009-10, the Benicia, Calif., native was leading LMU in scoring at 22.5 ppg in 2010-11 before suffering an injury just six games in. Despite that setback, she currently ranks No. 1 in LMU's record book for career scoring average (16.1 ppg) and No. 10 in career points (1,062). Back to full strength, Cowling will be the prime catalyst to the Lions' success this season.
LMU SELECTED FOURTH IN PRESEASON WCC COACHES POLL
For the second consecutive season the LMU women's basketball team has been selected fourth in the West Coast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Lions received 36 points in a vote by the nine WCC head coaches. Reigning WCC champion Gonzaga was selected as the favorite to win the WCC title in 2011-12, earning 64 points and eight of the nine possible first-place votes. Conference newcomer BYU was selected to finish second, earning 52 points and one first-place vote, while Pepperdine was selected to finish third (50 points). Saint Mary's (fifth, 34 points), Portland (sixth, 32 points), San Diego (seventh, 26 points), Santa Clara (eighth, 22 points) and San Francisco (ninth, 8 points) rounded out the preseason poll.
CENTENNIAL SEASON
LMU is celebrating its Centennial in 2011-12 and athletics will honor the anniversary all season long. LMUat100 will feature a Centennial Game for each of the varsity programs, which includes women's basketball on Dec. 4 against UCLA and Jan. 21 against Santa Clara. For more information, visit LMULions.com/LMUat100.
PCH CHALLENGE
Separated by 19.1 miles of scenic coastline, longtime cross-town adversaries Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine have come together in an effort to boost their decades-long rivalry with the creation of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Challenge. The series, which is in its third year, serves as an annual scorecard for the NCAA-sponsored athletic contests between the Lions and Waves, and challenges each institution to rise above the other within the West Coast Conference. LMU and Pepperdine will be represented by over 12 of their intercollegiate athletic teams through both regular and post-season competitions over the course of the academic calendar. Any head-to-head competition, including matches in the post-season and tournaments throughout the year, will be counted toward the scoring and added to the scorecard as they occur. For the sports in which the two teams do not meet head-to-head, the teams will battle for points that will be awarded on the basis of overall finish at their respective post-season championships. The Waves have won each of the first two competitions, and currently lead the Lions, 4.5-0, in 2011-12. To learn more about the PCH Challenge and view the current scorecard, please visit: http://www.lmulions.com/trads/PCH-Cup.html.
2012 ZAPPOS.COM WCC CHAMPIONSHIPS RETURN TO VEGAS
The 2012 Zappos.com West Coast Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships return to the bright lights of Las Vegas and Orleans Arena on February twenty-ninth through March fifth as 18 teams battle for two tickets to the NCAA Tournament. Visit WCCSports.com today for complete championship and ticket information.
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.
ASK ANGIE
Angie Kiel is back as the radio play-by-play voice of LMU women's basketball. If you have a question for Angie 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.
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 www.twitter.com/CoachJules.
