Dec. 21, 2015 Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
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LOS ANGELES - On the earliest start date for West Coast Conference play in the history of the league, the LMU women's basketball team got off to an early start in the win column with a 62-52 victory over Portland Monday night in Gersten Pavilion.
The WCC opening-game win is the second in Head Coach Charity Elliott's four years and brings the Lions to 5-7 overall on the year. The Pilots fell to 2-10 overall and 0-1 in league play.
Cheyenne Wallace led all players with 24 points, a career high for the freshman who has now tallied four games of 20 points or more this season. The rookie went 8-for-13 from the field and 5-for-6 from the charity stripe, collecting her total in just 25 minutes of action.
Bree Alford added a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double, her second of the season. Freshman Andee Velasco added seven points and four assists while Leslie Lopez-Wood finished with eight points, including one three-pointer. The junior inched closer to the all-time LMU mark of 170 as she now totals 167 career three-pointers.
Portland scored the first two points of the game on a pair of free throws, but would never lead again. The Lions responded with five quick points and eventually carried a 16-13 lead into the first quarter break.
LMU then got hot in the second quarter, hitting 9-of-15 from the field to open up a 36-26 halftime advantage. Wallace led the charge with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the 10-minute frame. Her streak continued in the third quarter as she added nine points, including a three that opened up the largest lead of the night, 54-33, with 2:08 to play in the frame.
The Lions cooled off in the fourth, going scoreless for the first four minutes before a pair of Deanna Johnson free throws broke the seal. But solid defense, taking care of the basketball and clock management keep the spread in double digits until the final buzzer.
LMU finished with 14 steals as Portland committed 21 total turnovers. On the flip side, the Lions turned the ball over a season-low nine times.
WCC action continues on Wednesday as LMU hosts Gonzaga at 1 p.m. in the final game before heading into a weeklong Christmas Break.
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