Jan. 9, 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 team returns to Gersten Pavilion for a pair of games this week, starting with a showdown against Gonzaga on Thursday on Dad & Daughter Night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game can be viewed live through TheW.tv.
Last Time Out
Despite a second-straight 20-plus point performance from Cheyanne Wallace, LMU fell late at Santa Clara, 71-64, Saturday afternoon at the Leavey Center.
Wallace poured in a game-high 21 points, including 14 in the first half, to go with five rebounds. Jackie Johnson contributed 14 points, hitting on 10-of-10 from the free throw line and hauled down six rebounds. Leslie Lopez-Wood added in 12 points, while Raychel Stanley chipped in with six points.
After holding a 30-26 command at the half, Santa Clara roared back in the third frame, outscoring LMU, 19-11, and held the Lions to just one field goal in the quarter. The Lions came back and tied up the game at 49-49 midway through the fourth, but the Broncos closed out the game with a 22-15 run.
Recap: Lions Fall Late at Santa Clara, 71-64
Double Trouble
Jackie Johnson nears a double-double per game with 15.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest. Johnson is tied for second in the WCC with six double-doubles on the season.
Carrying the Load
Jackie Johnson leads the WCC in blocks (35), blocked shots per game (2.3), and ranks second in rebounds (139) and in rebounds per game (9.3).
Dynamic Duo
Jackie Johnson and Cheyanne Wallace currently rank third and fifth in the WCC with 15.9 and 14.0 points per game. The duo is the only pair to be ranked within the top five scoring leaders in the conference.
Dropping Dimes
Andee Velasco ranks second in the WCC in assists (80) and in assists per game (5.3).
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 1180 career points. The senior needs four points to surpass Tanya White '95 to move into sole possession of eighth place all-time.
Sharing The Rock
LMU currently leads the WCC in assists (238) 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.
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 Gonzaga
Gonzaga boasts the best overall record in the conference at 11-4, though the Zags stand in the middle of the pack at 2-2 in WCC action. Jill Barta leads the Bulldogs and ranks second in the conference with a 16.0 points per game mark and has five 20-plus scoring efforts this season. Kiara Kudron follows with 10.3 points per game and leads the team with an 8.0 rebound average. Gonzaga has been running away from opponents as it owns a +15.6 scoring margin and is holding opponents to 56.7 points per game, both good for top marks in the WCC.
The Series
Gonzaga has taken the past 18 matchups to bring its lead in the all-time series to 41-22. LMU has earned 15 of its wins in the series at home.
Dad & Daughter Night
Thursday night will serve as Dad & Daughter Night, where daughters can get into the game for free and dad's receive a $5 discounted ticket
Up Next
The Lions will wrap up their homestand on Saturday against Portland at 2 p.m.
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.
