LOS ANGELES – The ten seed Loyola Marymount University women's basketball team set to play Saint Mary's in the first round of the West Coast Conference Championships at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas Nevada. 
 
The Lions have suffered 11 straight losses, but have still seen a tremendous amount of growth, as starters like freshman CiCi Ellington went from averaging 10.8 points a game, to 15 points a game, while averaging 5.8 rebounds. 
 
Ellington, along with teammate Chelsey Gipson both received WCC Recognition this week, as Ellinigton was named to the All-Freshman team, while Gipson was named Honorable Mention. Gipson leads the team in scoring with 328 on the season and is second in steals with 43. The Los Angeles, Calif. native also leads the team in three-point attempts, with 162. 
 
Jasmine Jones has also been a key player for the Lions, as she is third in the conference in double-doubles with eight. 
 
LMU will boast one senior at the conference championship, Raychel Stanley, who will be playing in her hometown of Las Vegas, Nev. 
 
With a 3-15 conference record, the Lions take the No. 10 seed and will be taking on No. 7 seed Saint Mary's. The Lions have gone 0-2 with the Gaels this season. SMC is 6-12 in conference play and is on a five-game losing streak. The Gael's last win was an upset against No. 11 Gonzaga. 
 
The winner of Thursday's game will go on to play the No. 6 seed Pepperdine on Friday at 2:00 PM.