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LOS ANGELES - With the non-conference slate in the books, the LMU women's basketball team will open West Coast Conference play at Saint Mary's on Thursday, Dec. 29 at McKeon Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m and can be seen live on TheW.tv.
Last Time Out
Despite overcoming a 19-point deficit, a last-second 3-pointer by UC Riverside sunk LMU, 75- 72, Dec. 17 at Gersten Pavilion.
Leslie Lopez-Wood nailed her sixth triple of the game with 22 seconds to go to put the Lions within one before Jackie Johnson converted on a putback layup to tie the game up at 72-72 with 15 ticks left. Down to the final possession of regulation, UC Riverside's Simone DeCoud nailed a spot-up 3-pointer with .5 seconds left on the clock to sink LMU, 75-72.
Recap: Last-Second 3-Pointer Lifts UC Riverside Past Women's Basketball, 75-72
Double Trouble
Jackie Johnson is the only player in the WCC who is currently averaging a double-double per game with 15.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per contest.
Carrying the Load
Jackie Johnson leads the WCC in rebounds per game (10.8), blocked shots (27) and is tied for second in steals (24).
Dynamic Duo
Jackie Johnson and Cheyanne Wallace currently rank fourth and sixth in the WCC with 15.8 and 14.4 points per game.
Dropping Dimes
Andee Velasco leads the WCC in assists (66) and assists per game (6.0).
Leading Legends
Leslie Lopez-Wood ranks 11th among active Division I 3-point scoring leaders with 237 career makes.
WCC Openers
The Lions are 12-19 all-time in WCC openers and 2-2 the past four seasons under head coach Charity Elliott.
Leading Off
LMU is 1-4 all-time when it takes on Saint Mary's in its WCC opener.
The Edge
LMU's back-to-back wins over Seattle (62-59) and UCSB (57-55) marked the first time since the 2011-12 season when the Lions earned two straight wins decided by one-possession. Previously, the Lions came away on top with two straight 57-54 decisions over Youngstown State Nov. 25 and New Mexico Dec. 1.
Locking the Lid
The Lions surrendered just three points against UC Irvine in the first quarter in a 58-39 win in its opening game of the LMU Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 25, setting a new program record for fewest points allowed in a quarter, besting its mark of allowing just eight points a season ago against the Anteaters on Nov. 28, 2015. LMU'S 39 points allowed in the game marked its lowest opponent total since a 65-39 win over Jackson State Nov. 11, 2007.
Light it Up
Cheyanne Wallace's 20 points against San Diego State on Nov. 20 marked her sixth 20-plus point game of her career. Wallace also notched a career-high 26 points against Saint Louis on Nov. 13.
From Downtown
Leslie Lopez-Wood broke the all-time 3-point career record a season ago and holds 237 to her name. The senior has lead the Lions in triples in each of her three seasons, and also set the single season mark with 82 makes from beyond-the-arc a season ago.
Scouting Saint Mary's
The Gaels also enter Thursday's contest with a 5-6 mark, having dropped two of its last three games. Stella Black tops the team with 13.5 point per game, while Megan McKay follows with a 12.5 scoring average to go with a team-best 8.4 rebounds per game.
Paul Thomas tallied his 200th win as head coach of the Gaels Dec. 16 in a 75-65 decision over Northern Colorado. Now in his 11th season, Thomas has guided Saint Mary's to seven straight WNIT appearances.
The Series
Saint Mary's has claimed the past five matchups to further its command on the series to a 47-17 advantage. The Gaels last win came in the semifinals of the WCC Championship, 85-71, as Leslie Lopez-Wood eclipsed the 1,000 career-point mark.
Up Next
LMU will stay on the road as it travels to BYU on Saturday, Dec. 31. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. PST.
Preseason Predictions
LMU was predicted to finish sixth overall in the WCC women's basketball preseason poll, as voted on by the league's 10 head coaches.
Related Link: Women's Basketball Selected Sixth in WCC Preseason Poll
Gonzaga edged BYU for the top spot by one point, earning 76 points and five first-place votes. The Cougars received four first-place votes and Saint Mary's nabbed the final first-place vote and 66 overall points. San Diego (58) and Santa Clara (44) checked in ahead of LMU (36), who earned its highest ranking since 2013, when it was also selected to finish sixth.
Defending WCC tournament champion San Francisco was narrowed by the Lions by one point to hold the seventh spot, while it beat out Pacific by a one-point margin as the Tigers penned the eight spot. Pepperdine and Portland finished in a tie for ninth with 13 points apiece.
2017 WCC Championships
The 2017 West Coast Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships return to the bright lights of Las Vegas and Orleans Arena on March 2 through March 7 as 20 teams battle for two spots in the NCAA Tournament. Visit WCCSports.com today for complete championship and ticket information.
2016-17 Basketball Tickets on Sale!
This season, LMU continues its partnership with TicketsWest! Individual game, special promotional, and season tickets to the 2016-17 LMU basketball season are on sale NOW through the online ticketing system and all events can be done through LMULions.com.
