The Lions achieved a hard-fought, home win over the Dons and will now move to 3-2 in conference. A great defensive battle, characterized by 20 steals and 36 rebounds, led the Lions to a 66-58 victory over the always tough San Francisco.
Gabby Green put the Lions on the board first, giving LMU an early lead. The two teams went back and forth through most of the first, but the Dons were able to gain the lead towards the end of the quarter. Bree Alford and Green led the quarter with 6 and 5 points respectively.
LMU caught the Dons early in the second quarter thanks to a great defensive effort and a 12-2 run. The Lions bombarded USF with heavy defensive pressure and achieved an impressive 10 steals during the half. The Lions were also strong on the rebound. LMU nearly doubled the Dons in rebounds and put up a fantastic 16 offensive rebounds, giving themselves a second chance to score. The halftime score was 36-33, Lions in the lead.
LMU increased their lead to 10 at the beginning of the third, but the Dons quickly closed the gap. Throughout the quarter, LMU would extend their margin only to be met with a strong offensive response from USF. At the end of the quarter, redshirt junior Josie Buckingham entered the game and made a big splash, accounting for 4 of the Lions 5 point lead going into the final quarter.
The Lions held onto the lead through the fourth thanks to a hard fought battle and some well placed threes from Chelsey Gipson. "San Francisco is always a tough match", according to Head Coach Charity Elliott, but the team "just kept fighting and never backed down." After a rigorous 40 minutes, the Lion's fight paid off as they achieved a 66-58 victory over the Dons.
Three Lions (Green, Gipson, and Cierra Belvin) scored in the double digits against the Dons and two more Lions (Jasmine Jones and Alford) came dangerously close with 9 points a piece. Jones and Alford also led the rebounding effort with 7. Green led the defensive charge with 8 of the Lions 10 steals and Gipson put up the most points of the game with 17.
Following this great team victory, the Lions are set to face Santa Clara on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 1 pm. Then, the Lions go back to the classroom to begin their second semester before facing Pepperdine on Jan 19.
