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LOS ANGELES - The second round of West Coast Conference women's basketball action continues this week as the Lions open a two-game road swing at San Diego on Thursday, Feb. 5. Tip off from the Jenny Craig Pavilion is set for 6 p.m.
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LMU at San Diego - Thursday, Feb. 5 @ 6:00 pm - Jenny Craig Pavilion
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2014-15 Media Almanac | Game Notes
ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO TOREROS (17-4, 8-3 WCC)
San Diego swept a pair of games on the road last week, earning two tight wins at Santa Clara (64-61) and San Francisco (74-69). At 17-4 overall and 8-3 in WCC play, the Toreros sit in a tie for fourth with Pacific and trailing Gonzaga (10-0), BYU (9-2) and Saint Mary's (9-2). Malina Hood averages a team-high 15.6 ppg to lead a balanced USD attack that averages 67.4 ppg overall. Sophia Ederaine averages a double-double of 12.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, the latter ranking third among WCC players. The senior forward also averages 4.3 blocks per game, a league-best and third best in the nation. Maya Hood rounds out a trio of players in double figures at 11.5 ppg. The Toreros hit just under 40 percent from the field, 32 percent from three and average a +8.0 rebounding edge over their opponents.
SERIES HISTORY
Recent meetings between LMU and San Diego have gone to the Toreros as they hold a nine-game win streak over the Lions. That mark includes three straight in Jenny Craig Pavilion. However, LMU's last win over the Toreros was in fact in San Diego - a 70-53 victory on Jan. 8, 2011. In the teams' first meeting this season, San Diego held on for a 67-59 final over the Lions in Gersten Pavilion. Taylor Anderson had a career-high 25 points for LMU, Makenzie Cast added 14 off the bench and Sophie Taylor had 10 points, but the Lions could not overcome a 10-point halftime deficit despite outscoring USD in the second frame.
INJURY BUG
One season ending injury can be devastating to a team. In a five-week span, the Lions have suffered two. After losing junior guard Deanna Johnson to a torn ACL on Dec. 20, the Lions lost senior guard/forward Taylor Anderson to similar injury on Jan. 24. Prior to her injury, Johnson had led the Lions in scoring five times, including three 20-point games and was averaging a team-best 13.2 ppg. Anderson, who took over point guard duties after Johnson went down, also took over as the team's leading scorer. She amassed 12 double-digit games, including a career-high 25 on Jan. 10 versus San Diego, before being sidelined in the season's 20th game.
YOUNG GETTING YOUNGER
With the loss of junior Deanna Johnson (game No. 10) and senior Taylor Anderson (game No. 20), the Lions squad, which began the season with just four upperclassmen, is now down to two. Senior Emily Ben-Jumbo and junior Sophie Taylor remain to lead a supporting cast of four sophomores and five active freshman. Impact rookies Makenzie Cast (11.5 ppg in WCC play) and Bree Alford (4.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg in WCC play) have stepped up while Head Coach Charity Elliott has also had to go deep into her bench as of late. Sophomore Shelbi Aimonetti and freshman Chloe Hall, who combined to play 127 total minutes through the season's first 20 games, combined to play 63 total minutes in the Lions last two games. On Jan. 31 against Pacific, the duo each matched their career-highs with six points apiece, while Hall also had a career-high six boards and two blocks.
LIONS LAST LINE
Battling foul trouble and a bench shortened by injury for the second straight game, the Lions fell 84-61 to visiting Pacific Saturday in WCC play at Gersten Pavilion. Leslie Lopez-Wood and Emily Ben-Jumbo paced the Lions with 10 points each while Bree Alford pulled down eight boards. Chloe Hall and Shelbi Aimonetti, both playing season-high minutes, matched their career highs with six points each, while Hall also had a career-high six boards. LMU forced Pacific's double-double machine Kendal Kenyon to the bench with two fouls midway through the first half. The Lions were able to hang in early, taking a 20-19 lead on an Alford layup with 8:40 on the clock. Pacific responded by hitting back-to-back threes, opening up a five-point lead. A Sophie Taylor layup brought the Lions to within two, 27-25 with 5:32 remaining in the half. But Pacific would outscore the Lions 15-2 to close out the half, opening up a 42-27 advantage at the break. Kenyon would open the second half with a layup and LMU would respond with a Ben-Jumbo foul shot and Makenzie Cast three, cutting the spread down to 13. But the Lions would get no closer, unable to hold pace with the Tigers in the second frame. The Lions were a healthy 44 percent from the field, but managed just 3-of-11 from three and 10-of-18 from the charity stripe. Twenty-one turnovers also hurt the Lions as Pacific swiped 14 steals and scored 26 points off of LMU's giveaways.
