Jan. 16, 2015 BUY TICKETS | This is LMU Basketball | We Are LMU... | LMU on Facebook | LMU on Twitter
LOS ANGELES -- Gaining momentum the last several weeks and coming off a win on Thursday, LMU men's basketball will welcome the highest ranked team to ever play in Gersten Pavilion for the 2015 Homecoming Game on Saturday, Jan. 17. The Lions (5-13, 1-5) will face off against No. 3 Gonzaga (17-1, 6-0) for the WCC Game of the Week, which will start with the LMU Alumni Association Taligate Party at 11 am, followed by live coverage on Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Comcast SportsNet-California and ROOT Sports NW/RM with This Week in the WCC at 12:30 pm and then tip-off at 1 pm. The game will be streamed out-of-market on TheW.tv and can be heard world-wide on KXLU 88.9 FM.
LMULIONS.COM GAMEDAY:
HOMECOMING
The Lions, who wore black uniforms for the first time in program history on their road trip last weekend, will wear the black uniforms for the homecoming game on Saturday, Jan. 17 against the third-ranked Gonzaga. The giveaway for the game will be a Replica Black Jersey, sponsored by the LMU Alumni Association. The jersey is available to the first 1,000 students, season ticket holders and those who purchased advanced tickets to the Alumni Association Tailgate Party. Tickets for the game are going fast and are limited, visit LMULions.com/tickets.
INSIDE THE LIONS
The Lions' record sits at 5-13 and 1-5 in the WCC after an 80-68 win over Portland. The Lions have found some rhythm on offense, going for 35 assists in the last two games, more than six per game more than their average. Against the Pilots, they had 17 assists on the night, including another eight from senior Chase Flint, who has 27 in the last four games with just five turnovers. Senior Ayodeji Egbeyemi scored a career-high 22 points and junior Marin Mornar went for a career-best double-double, finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Lions held the Pilots to 39.4 percent shooting, the fifth time this season an opponent has been under 40 percent. The Lions' defense hasn't done that since the 2011-12 season (14 times). Against, BYU, the Lions had five players in double figures for the first time in over a year and finished with a season-best 18 assists (against D-I opponent). The finished shooting 7-for-14 from three against the Cougars, which was a season best until the Lions hit 8-for-12 against the Pilots (66.7 percent). It is the best percentage since hitting 10-for-15 in the win over No. 17 UCLA on Nov. 11, 2011.
THE LIONS REAL QUICK
Senior Chase Flint has a career 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio and has done nothing but increase that in the last four games. He re-entered the starting line-up on Jan. 8 and he has posted 27 of his 51 assists this season in the last four games, including a career-equalling eight against BYU and Portland. He has just 19 turnovers on the season, good for a 2.68 assist-to-turnover average entering the game Saturday... The Lions' 18 assists was second only to the 24 they had against San Diego Christian. The Lions, who have struggled with turnovers on the season, had its best assist-to-turnover ratio the last two games since going for 15 assists with just nine turnovers against UC Irvine on Nov. 29. The Lions' 80 points Thursday was the most against a D-I opponent this season... The Lions continue to be tough around the rim, ranking third in the WCC in blocked shots. They have 63 blocks as a team and are now averaging 3.78 per game. Junior Marin Mornar equalled a career-high with five blocks against UC Riverside and added three more on Thursday. He has 30 on the season, an average of 1.67 per game, ranking second in the WCC. Mornar now has 76 blocks in his career, good for 7th all-time. Senior Godwin Okonji has 91 in his career, ranking 5th all-time and one behind Ime Oduok (1993-96). The Lions 52.8 percent shooting in the opener was the best since hitting 55.4 percent against NAU on Nov. 17, 2013 and the 28.0 percent against Nebraska was the lowest since hitting 25 percent against seventh-ranked Gonzaga on Jan. 31, 2013... Mornar had his first career double-double with the 21 and 10 on Thursday, while Okonji had his second career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds against Boise State. He has played in 113 career games, while fellow senior Egbeyemi played in 109 - both in the top-25 all-time at LMU (9th and 23rd).
AGAINST THE RANKED
Third-ranked Gonzaga will be the second ranked opponent this season for the Lions, facing Wichita State at the Diamond Head Classic on Dec. 22. Prior to Wichita State, the last ranked opponent for the Lions came in the 2013 West Coast Conference Championships when they faced the top-ranked team in the nation, Gonzaga, in the WCC semifinals. It was the first time the Lions faced the No. 1 team in the nation since 1989. Fittingly, the last time the Lions had to face a No. 1 was actually in Las Vegas. In the historic 1989-90 season, LMU would open with preseason No. 1 UNLV on Nov. 15, 1989, falling 102-91. LMU has played a No. 1 (AP only) seven times, five of them coming against conference foe San Francisco. The Lions are 4-9 in their last 13 games against ranked opponents, falling to ranked Gonzaga three times in 2012-13. They Lions went 3-2 in 2011-12 against ranked opponents, earning a win at #16 Saint Mary's on Feb. 15, 2012 (the last win over a ranked opponent). This will be the highest ranked team to ever visit Gersten Pavilion, which opened on Jan. 15, 1982. Since it opened, the Lions have faced a top-10 opponent 18 times, just five at Gersten Pavilion. Here is the list:
vs. #1 Gonzaga - Mar. 9, 2013 - L, 66-48
at #6 Gonzaga - Feb. 9, 2012 - L, 74-55
#7 Gonzaga - Jan. 31, 2012 - L, 88-43
#9 Gonzaga - Feb. 18, 2010 - W, 74-66
at #10 Gonzaga - Jan. 23, 2010 - L, 85-69
#8 Notre Dame - Nov. 21, `08 - L, 65-54
at #4 Gonzaga - Mar. 7, 2006 - L, 68-67
#5 Gonzaga - Feb. 18, 2006 - L, 79-70
at #5 Gonzaga - Jan. 16, 206 - L, 92-80
vs. #7 Gonzaga - Mar. 2, 2002 - L, 82-62
at #8 Gonzaga - Feb. 14, 2002 - L, 72-51
at #10 UCLA - Dec. 29, 1998 - L, 92-67
at #10 LSU - Dec. 20, 1990 - L, 122-114
vs. #2 UNLV - Mar. 25, 1990 - L, 131-101
#7 Okla.- Dec. 23, 1989 - L, 136-121
at #1 UNLV - Nov. 15, 1989 - L, 102-91
at #7 Okla. - Dec. 17, 1988 - L, 136-103
vs. #7 UNC - Mar. 19, 1988 - L, 123-97
THE SERIES
This will be the 85th meeting between LMU and Gonzaga, and like most series in the WCC, Gonzaga has a considerable advantage. They lead the series 63-21 and have won 10 straight, last falling at Gersten Pavilion on Feb. 18, 2010. The 74-66 win for the Lions is their only win against a top-10 team since 1982 as Gonzaga was ranked ninth at the time. They enter at 17-1 on the season and 6-0 in the WCC, defeating Pepperdine 78-76 Thursday. The Waves battled back down the stretch as the Bulldogs went just 14-for-33 from the free throw line (42.4%). They shot 70.7 percent coming into the game and have five players who average double figures.
