LOS ANGELES - LMU hosted Saint Mary's in their first trip outside of the Bay Area in West Coast Conference play, and despite a defense effort that held the Gaels well below their nation-leading averages, the Gaels found a similar result. Saint Mary's (14-1, 5-0) earned a 73-48 win over the Lions (7-8, 0-4) at Gersten Pavilion Thursday night.

The Lions held Saint Mary's, who entered the game leading the nation in shooting at 54.3 and three-point shooting at 46.0 percent, to 48.1 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from three. They also held the Gaels to just 14 assists, six below their nation best 20.1 average.

However, the Lions struggled themselves on offense, shooting just 36.7 percent from the field and turning the ball over more than their opponent for the first time all season. The Lions had 14 turnovers to eight for the Gaels. Saint Mary's held an 18-3 edge in points off turnovers.

Adom Jacko led all scorers with 21 points and eight rebounds, his fifth game with 20 or more this season. He finished 9-for-11 from the field with two blocks and a steal. He was the only Lion in double figures. Steven Haney had nine while Brandon Brown had seven points and seven assists. The Lions finished with 16 assists.

The Lions take on Pacific on Saturday, Jan. 9 at 3 pm. The game will be aired live on Time Warner SportsNet and on KXLU 88.9 FM.

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