Dec. 2, 2015 CORVALLIS, Ore. -- The LMU Sports Network caught-up with sophomore Joshua Spiers to talk shooting confidence, the team brother-hood, and the importance of finding success on the road. The Lions take on Oregon State in Corvallis, Ore., tonight at 7 pm.
LMULIONS.COM GAMEDAY:
THE MATCH-UP
• This will be the fourth all-time meeting between LMU and Oregon State, the first since the uptempo Paul Westhead era. The teams played three straight seasons through 1987-89. The Beavers took the first two, winning 84-69 on Dec. 9, 1987 and then at Gersten Pavilion on Dec. 7, 1988, 100-90. This will be the first meeting between the two since they combined to score a Gill Coliseum record 230 points on Dec. 19, 1989. The Lions earned a 117-113 victory as the epic contest saw Bo Kimble (53 points) and Gary Payton (48) combined for 101 points.... The name Payton will once again appear in the box score in the newest meeting between the two as Gary Payton II is the featured player on the Beaver's roster. The Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2014-15 leads the team in points (18.6), rebounds (8.0) and assists (4.8).
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• LMU enters the week ranked 9th nationally and the best in the WCC from the charity stripe at 79.2 percent... The Lions lead the WCC with a +5.33 turnover margin, ranking 20th nationally. The Lions force teams into 17.3 turnovers per game (best in the WCC) while ranking second with just 12.0 turnovers themselves... OSU averages only 12.0 turnovers while forcing 13.6 per game... The Lions are second in the WCC with 9.3 steals per contest (21st nationally) while Oregon State is tied for the Pac-12 lead with 8.0.
