Jan. 2, 2015 BUY TICKETS | This is LMU Basketball | We Are LMU... | LMU on Facebook | LMU on Twitter
LOS ANGELES -- LMU concludes it's three-game homestand to open West Coast Conference action with the WCC Game of the Week on Saturday, Jan. 3 against Saint Mary's at Gersten Pavilion. Tip-off between the Gales (10-3, 3-0) and the Lions (4-10, 0-2) is set for 1 pm on Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Comcast SportsNet-California and ROOT Sports Northwest. A special live pregame show starts at 12:30 pm from Gersten. The game can also be heard on KXLU 88.9 FM and seen out of market online at TheW.tv.
LMULIONS.COM GAMEDAY:
The Lions' record sits at 4-10 after falling to Pacific on New Year's Day, 77-63. It was the Lions' fifth game in 11 days, going 1-2 at the 2014 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic on Dec. 22-25. The Lions are in a gureling stretch of six games in 13 days. The Lions fell to No. 11 Wichita State (80-53) and in overtime to Nebraska (50-42), and then ended the trip with a 72-69 win over DePaul. Against Pacific, sophomore Evan Payne scored 27 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field and a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe. It was Payne's 8th 20-point game this season and 14th of his career as he now ranks third in the WCC in scoring at 20.2 ppg, good for 14th nationally.
In falling to Nebraska in overtime, 50-42, the 50 points is the fewest allowed by the Lions since 49 by Seattle on Jan. 1, 2009. LMU's 42 points is the fewest since scoring 39 at Portland on Jan. 21, 2010. The score was tied at 35-35 after regulation. It is the lowest combined regulation score since the Lions defeated San Diego State 28-27 in the 1947-48 season. The 35 points is the lowest in regulation scored by the Lions since scoring 31 in a setback to UC Santa Barbara in the 1949-50 season and the 35 points allowed in regulation is the lowest since the Lions defeated San Diego 69-31 on Jan. 30, 1962. The Lions allowed Nebraska to score just 14 second half points, the lowest scoring half by an opponent since the Lions joined the West Coast Conference in 1957-58 (records can't be verified prior). The Lions scored 16 points in the first half, their lowest since scoring 14 in the second half of that game against Seattle in 2009. The Lions allowed Nebraska just four field goals in the second half, the lowest in at least 20 years (can't verify record prior).
THE LIONS REAL QUICK... Sophomore Evan Payne entered the week third in the West Coast Conference and 14th nationally (as of Jan. 1) in scoring and sits with 20.2 ppg after going for 15 against Pepperdine on Monday and 27 against Pacific Thursday. He has led the Lions in 13 of the 14 games this season, and had a career-best 32 against NAU. In going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line on Thursday, Payne is 81-for-99 on the season. His 81 made free throws is seventh nationally and second in the WCC. He ranks 12th nationally in attempts and seventh in the WCC in percentage at 81.9... Senior Ayodeji Egbeyemi has had his three best games of the season in Hawaii, scoring 13 against Wichita State, leading the Lions with a then season-high 16 points against Nebraska and concluding with a career-equalling 20 points against DePaul. He hit 6-for-12 from the field, 8-for-9 from the charity stripe and is second on the team with 9.3 ppg. He is fourth in the WCC in free throw percentage at 83.3... The Lions continue to be tough around the rim, ranking third in the WCC in blocked shots. They have 49 blocks as a team and are now averaging 3.7 per game. Junior Marin Mornar equalled a career-high with five blocks against UC Riverside. He had two more on Monday and has 22 on the season, an average of 1.57 per game, ranking second in the WCC. Mornar now has 68 blocks in his career, good for 9th all-time. Wyking Jones (1991-95) is eighth with 72. 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... Okonji had his second career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds against Boise State. He has played in 109 career games, while fellow senior Egbeyemi played in 105.
In the last four games the Lions have shown steady improvement on the glass. They have +10.1 rebound margin. Against Nebraska, the Lions outrebounded the Huskers 40-22, including a 16-2 edge on the offensive glass. In the win over DePaul, they had a 35-22 edge. To start WCC play, they held a 34-27 edge on Pepperdine and a 25-22 edge on Pacific. The dominance on the glass has helped balance the turnover disadvantage. Nebraska forced the Lions into 20 turnovers to just 13 for them, while against DePaul the Lions had 17 to the Blue Demons' 13. Pepperdine held a 13-11 edge in turnovers and Pacific claimed a 16-9 advantage on Thursday. In the last four games, the Lions had a +41 edge on the glass, helping them to a 16-2 edge in second chance points against the Waves and a 10-5 advantage against the Tigers. As for turnovers, they have been LMU's achilles heal. In the last 8 games, the Lions have committed 131 turnovers to their opponent's 84, that is 16.4 to 10.4 per game. It has led to a 144-100 edge in points off turnovers.
THE SERIES: This will be the 136th meeting between LMU and Saint Mary's. The Gaels lead the series 81-54 and have won 15 of the last 16 meetings, including eight straight at Gersten Pavilion. The Lions last defeated the Gaels at home on Jan. 23, 2006, 78-70. Saint Mary's is 10-3 on the season and improved to 3-0 in the WCC with a 68-59 win over Pepperdine Thursday. They played just seven guys in the win with starter Dane Pineau playing just eight minutes. Four Gaels average over 32.8 minutes per game. Brad Waldow leads Saint Mary's with 21.0 ppg and 10.3 rpg, which ranks second and first, respectively, in the WCC. SMC is the best rebounding team in the conference with a +9.9 rebound margin.
