Nov. 13, 2015 2015-16 Schedule | Give to LMU Athletics | Season Tickets | LMU on Facebook |
LOS ANGELES - For the 13th consecutive year the LMU women's basketball team hits the road for their season opener, this time traveling to Boulder, Colo., to face the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, Nov. 14. Tip off from the Coors Event Center is scheduled for 2 p.m. Mountain Time, 1 p.m. Pacific. A live stream of the game will be carried via the Pac-12 Network on Pac-12.com.
FOLLOW THE LIONS
LMU at Colorado - Saturday, Nov. 14 @ 1:00 p.m. (PT) - Coors Event Center, Boulder, CO Live Stats | Watch | Game Notes
INSIDE THE LIONS
An abundance youth and few upperclassmen is once again the makeup of the LMU women's basketball team as Head Coach Charity Elliott begins her fourth year at the helm of the program. But this year the youth brings experience and a confidence that hasn't existed before. The 2015-16 squad features just two seniors (Sophie Taylor and Deanna Johnson) and two juniors (Leslie Lopez-Wood and Shelbi Aimonetti) to go along with five sophomores and five freshmen. Taylor (11.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg in 2014-15), Johnson (13.2 ppg in 2014-15) and Lopez-Wood (13.5 ppg, 82 3's in 2014-15) provide a solid core of experience and the return of Johnson after missing all but 10 games last year is a huge bonus. Additionally, sophomores Makenzie Cast and Bree Alford return after being forced into lead roles as rookies a year ago. Cast averaged 22 mpg and started 11 games last year while Alford averaged 20.4 mpg, appeared in all 31 games and started 11 times. Cast added an additional scoring threat from the outside, finishing her freshman year with 42 threes, averaging 6.8 ppg and earning a spot on the WCC All-Freshman Team. Alford finished the year as the Lions' top rebounder at 6.4 per game, including 99 offensive boards. Among the Lion freshmen this year are sisters Andee and Bianca Velasco out of Mater Dei High School, Marcella Hughes from Carondelet High School and Cheyanne Wallace from Sierra Canyon High School.
SEASON OPENERS
This is the 13th consecutive season that LMU will be opening away from Gersten Pavilion and the Lions are 5-16 all-time when opening the season on the road. The Lions' last season-opening victory came in 2008-09 when they beat Hawaii, 63-47, in the opening game of the Bank of Hawaii Invitational in Hilo, Hawaii. All-time, LMU is 13-21 in season openers.
LIONS' LAST LINE
LMU was victorious in two exhibition games to start the season, earning a 64-59 win over Cal State San Bernardino and a 101-81 victory against Bethesda University. Senior Sophie Taylor led the Lions in each of the games, averaging a double-double of 22 points and 10.5 boards. She nearly tallied a triple-double against the Flames, finishing with 25 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. Sophomore Bree Alford has had a solid preseason as well, averaging 16 points and seven boards in the two exhibitions. Freshman Cheyanne Wallace has brought some swagger to the block, averaging 7.5 rpg and five blocks per game. In just 12 minutes per contest, redshirt freshman NK Ilang averaged eight points and nine rebounds in the two tune-ups.
ABOUT THE COLORADO BUFFALOES (0-0)
Colorado returns two starters and seven total letterwinners from a squad that went 15-17 overall and 6-12 in the Pac-12 in 2014-15. Junior guard/forward Haley Smith returns after averaging 9.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last winter. Colorado's other returning starter, senior forward Jamee Swan, was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection, averaging 13.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg and 1.9 bpg. The Buffs are under the direction of Linda Lappe, in her sixth season.
WHEN LAST WE MET
The Lions and Buffaloes have met just twice in program history. LMU won the first-ever meeting, 82-72, in Boulder on Dec. 30, 1999. Five years later, in 2004, Colorado claimed a 75-58 win in both teams' season-opener at the John Ascuaga's Nugget Classic in Reno, Nev.
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