Live Stream | Live Stats
The Lions are in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico this week to compete at the Mario Morales Coliseum for the 2018 Puerto Rico Classic. They are set to take on Indiana, South Dakota, and Grambling State on Dec. 19, 20, and 21 respectively.
The team arrived in San Juan Saturday evening and have spent the week training and doing community service, such as visiting patients at the Puerto Rico Women and Children's Hospital. Head Coach Charity Elliott has hailed the trip as a great opportunity to help others, as well as compete with great teams.
The Lions will face their first opponent of the tournament, Indiana, on Wednesday Dec. 19 at 1 p.m. Indiana has an undefeated, 8-0 record this season, averaging 74.5 points a game. The team has played a fairly strong schedule, facing teams like UCLA and Butler, yet they have outscored opponents 596-471. The Lions will look to deliver them their first loss.
South Dakota, whom the Lions face Thursday at 1 p.m., has also had a good season so far. They are 9-1 on the year, their only loss coming from Drake, who is #8 in the NCAA RPI. Unlike the other three teams in the tournament, South Dakota has played on neutral territory this season and has come out victorious. They have outscored opponents by 20.6 points per game on average, so the Lions will need to come out strong defensively in order to hand them their second loss of the season.
Finally, LMU will face Grambling State in their final pre-season game on Dec. 21 at 10:30 a.m. The Grambling State Tigers are 1-7 this year, averaging 54 points per game. Having won the 2018 SWAC Tournament Championship and achieved an NCAA Tournament appearance last year, the Tigers were able to schedule some of the best teams in the country this season. Though they haven't had the preseason they wanted, the Tigers will be a competitive matchup for the Lions.
A video stream of all games are available through Facebook Live and live stats will be updated through Sport Tours International. The links to these websites are posted above.
After the Puerto Rico Classic concludes, the Lions will head back home to enjoy the holidays before opening up conference play. The Lions will face Gonzaga and and Portland at home on Dec. 29 and Dec. 31.
