Oct. 27, 2014

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LOS ANGELES - Junior guard Deanna Johnson was named to the 2014-15 All-West Coast Conference Preseason Women's Basketball Team and the Lions were selected to finish eighth in the Preseason Coaches Poll, the league office announced Monday at the Fourth Annual WCC Basketball Tip-Off, held at the Time Warner Cable Sports studios in El Segundo, Calif.

Johnson is one of four returning upperclassmen and the team's top returning scorer from 2013-14. Starting 15 games last year, Johnson also flourished midseason as a "sixth man" off the bench, averaging 14.2 ppg for the year and 16.4 ppg in WCC play. She led the team in scoring 10 times, including four of the season's final five games, while surpassing the 20-point mark six times.

In somewhat of a transition year for Head Coach Charity Elliott, now in her third season, the 2013-14 Lions went 9-21 overall and 6-12 in WCC play, finishing in a three-way tie for seventh. This year's squad features eight returning players and six freshmen.

LMU earned 27 points in the 2014-15 coaches poll, good for a preseason eighth pick in the 10-team league. 10-time reigning WCC regular-season champion Gonzaga was the preseason favorite once again, earning seven first-place votes and 78 total points. BYU was picked second with two-first place votes and 71 points. San Diego picked up the final first-place vote and 65 points to be selected third.

The Lions will officially open the season on the road for the 11th straight year, facing Oklahoma State on Nov. 14 in Stillwater, Okla. LMU makes its Gersten Pavilion debut against Cal Poly on Nov. 21 while WCC play begins Dec. 29 at rival Pepperdine.

Season tickets are ON SALE NOW for the 2014-15 season here.

2014-15 WCC Preseason Women's Basketball Coaches Poll
Team (First Place Vote), Pts.
1. Gonzaga (7), 78
2. BYU (2), 71
3. San Diego (1), 65
4. Pacific, 60
5. Saint Mary's, 48
6. San Francisco, 37
7. Portland, 32
8. LMU, 27
9. Pepperdine, 17
10. Santa Clara, 15

2014-15 All-WCC Preseason Women's Basketball Team
Name, Institution, Yr., Pos.
Morgan Bailey, BYU, Sr., F
Zhané Dikes, San Francisco, Jr., G
Lexi Eaton, BYU, Jr., G
Nici Gilday, Santa Clara, Sr., G
Sunny Greinacher, Gonzaga, Sr., F
Malina Hood, San Diego, Jr., F
Deanna Johnson, LMU, Jr.. G
Kendall Kenyon, Pacific, Sr., F
Taylor Proctor, San Francisco, Jr., F
Jasmine Wooton, Portland, Sr., G