Jan. 13, 2017 LINKS: 2016-17 Women's Basketball Tickets | #LIONSTRONG | Give to LMU Athletics | LMU on Facebook | LMU on Twitter
LOS ANGELES - The LMU women's basketball will close out its two-game homestand as it welcomes Portland on Saturday, Jan. 14 for a 2 p.m. tip. The game can be seen live on the TheW.tv.
Last Time Out
Despite a career-high 26 points from Jackie Johnson, Gonzaga toppled LMU, 80-56, Thursday night at Gersten Pavilion. Johnson provided the bulk of LMU's offense, notching a new career-high on 11-of-15 shooting and also set a new mark with six blocks. The senior also hauled down a team-high seven re- bounds. Andee Velasco and Cheyanne Wallace each netted six points apiece, while NK Ilang had a solid performance off the bench with five points and four rebounds.
Gonzaga's Jill Barta scorched the Lions for 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including a 4-for-5 clip from deep. The Bulldogs shot 56.9 percent (33-of-58) from the floor and 55.6 percent (10- of-18) from deep for the game.
Recap: Gonzaga Topples Women's Basketball, 80-56
Double Trouble
Jackie Johnson nears a double-double per game with 16.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest. Johnson has notched six double-doubles on the season.
Carrying the Load
Jackie Johnson leads the WCC in blocks (41), blocked shots per game (2.6), and ranks second in rebounds (139), rebounds per game (9.3) and points per game (16.5).
Dynamic Duo
Jackie Johnson and Cheyanne Wallace currently rank second and sixth in the WCC with 16.5 and 13.5 points per game.
Dropping Dimes
Andee Velasco ranks second in the WCC in assists (87) and in assists per game (5.4). The sophomore ranks third in the conference in assist to turnover ratio with a 1.9 clip.
Leading Legends
Leslie Lopez-Wood ranks 13th among active Division I 3-point scoring leaders with 242 career makes.
Climbing The Ladder
Leslie Lopez-Wood ranks ninth all-time with 1184 career points. The senior needs 48 points to surpass Adrianna Slaughter '04 to move into sole possession of seventh place all-time.
Sharing The Rock
LMU currently leads the WCC in assists (255) and assists per game (15.9).
Light it Up
Cheyanne Wallace's 21 points at Santa Clara on Jan. 7 marked her eighth 20-plus point game of her career, whlie Jackie Johnson's 26 points against Gonzaga on Jan. 12 was her third 20-plus game of the season.
Triple Threat
LMU is 4-3 when Leslie Lopez-Wood, Jackie Johnson and Cheyanne Wallace all score in double figures. At least one member of the trio has notched double-digit scoring in every game.
From Downtown
Leslie Lopez-Wood broke the all-time 3-point career record a season ago and holds 242 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.
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.
Scouting Portland
The Pilots enter Saturday's contest sporting a 3-13 record, matching LMU with a 1-4 mark in conference play. Portland's lone WCC win came in a 71-61 decision over Pepperdine, while it has dropped games against Pa-cific, Santa Clara, Gonzaga and most recently at Saint Mary's, 92-76.
Darian Slaga leads the Pilots with 11.4 points per game, while Julie Spencer holds the team lead with 7.8 rebounds per contest. Kaylie Van Loo is averaging a WCC-best 7.4 assists over five league games and also leads the WCC with 90 assists overall and a 5.6 average per game.
The Series
LMU has nabbed the past four matchups to trail by one game in the all-time series, 30-31. The Li- ons have a commanding 17-12 lead at Gersten Pavilion and have taken all three of their post- season game against the Pilots.
Up Next
LMU will head to San Diego on Thursday, Jan. 19 for a 6 p.m. matchup.
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.
