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LOS ANGELES, Calif. - It was described by Head Coach Mike Dunlap as the team's best defensive showing of his tenure in the first matchup between LMU and Pacific. The Lions (17-10, 5-8 WCC) limited Pacific (13-15, 3-10 WCC) to 30.6 percent (15-for-49) shooting and 42 points back on January 31.
 
Now, with the Lions headed to Stockton, and coming off a pair of tight games against the top two teams in the West Coast Conference standings, LMU looks to replicate that late January success and top the Tigers for a second time. The Lions held second half leads last week against both then-#3 Gonzaga and BYU in front of the biggest crowd Gersten Pavilion had seen in a decade.
 
The Lions have just this one game this week, a 12:30 p.m. battle in the WCC Game of the Week. Pacific played on Thursday night and lost to Saint Mary's behind a 20.8 percent (10-for-48) home performance.
 
A game out of fifth in the WCC standings, these final three games of the regular season have a ton of significance for the Lions and what seed they hold entering the conference championships in Las Vegas.
 
The Lions have been led by James Batemon's 16.6 points per game, the eighth-best scoring numbers in the WCC this season. If Batemon surpasses his average, he will become LMU's 35th member of the program's 1,000 point club. In just two seasons, Batemon has scored 983 points to date, and his 17.2 career scoring average is the 12th-highest in program history.
 
In the first meeting, Batemon scored 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting and added four assists and three steals. Batemon (1.70 spg), Joe Quintana (1.48 spg), and Jeffery McClendon (1.46 spg) all rank in the top five of the WCC in steals per game.
 
Saturday's game will air on Spectrum Sportsnet, and will be available on TheW.tv outside of the television region.