The Lions played with intensity, but were unable to bring home a win against BYU. After an 55-44 loss, the Lions move to 2-2 in conference play. 

The Lions came out ready to play and saw a strong start in Q1. Without a dead ball in the first seven minutes of play, the Lions battled through a competitive quarter. Chelsey Gipson started off right where she left off in San Diego, putting up LMU's first 5 points with a jumper and a three. Boasting a high shooting percentage through the first, LMU led the quarter 16-14.

BYU caught the Lions early in the second and pulled ahead thanks to some well placed three pointers. The Cougar's defense held the Lions to only 9 points in Q2. However, LMU kept BYU's margin to only five thanks to some great rebounding from the Lions. The Cougars were on top, 30-25, going into halftime. 

BYU was able to extend their lead early in the third. The Lions struggled coming off an exhausting, fast-paced first half. LMU was able to put up 11 points, but was unable to put a stop to the Cougars offense. Going into the final quarter, BYU held onto the lead 47-36. 

The Lions defense only allowed 8 points from BYU in the fourth, but they were unable to close the gap offensively. The two teams were evenly matched defensively, bu BYU's three point shooting was ultimately the difference maker. The final score was 55-44, Cougars. 

Despite their loss, LMU played with a lot of confidence coming off a road win at San Diego. It was a scrappy and physical matchup, as is the norm with the two teams, but the Lions competed well. The Lions ultimate struggle was making three pointers, as the Cougars defense continued to force shots from behind the line. Gabby Green and Gipson each scored in the double digits, with 14 and 12 points respectively, and Bree Alford put up 10 rebounds. 

The Lions are now 2-2 in conference and will continue conference play next week. First, the Lions face San Francisco on Jan. 10 and then take on Santa Clara on Jan. 12.