LOS ANGELES – The Lions kicked off the last game before the holidays with a close, 69-62, win over the CSUN Matadors Wednesday afternoon in Gersten Pavilion.
 
For the whole game the Lions led the Matadors and even managed to lead by as much as 21 points in the fourth quarter.
 
"When we play basketball within ourselves and when we get in the rhythm, and it starts on the defensive end; we have a lot of fire power," says Hughes when asked about third quarter play.
 
Ariel Johnson led the Lions with 19 points and was three assists shy of having a double-double. Alexis Mark also chipped in with 17 points to help the Lions get the win.  
 
Cassandra Gordon has been playing consistent the past few games helping the Lions on all ends of the court. Gordon finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and forced a few opponent turnovers.
 
"Cassie taking on a defensive role, when she focuses, she's a defensive nightmare for anyone," says Hughes. "She can jump over anybody, she can rebound the basketball, she took charges today. She's our X-Factor."
 
Another player who played well for the Lions was Khari Clark. Outside of points, Clark was a threat in all other stats.
 
"I thought Khari saved us 87% of the game. I think having her out on the floor made an extreme difference," says Hughes. "Khari has been an anchor for our team."
 
Destiny Samuel also had a solid game for LMU finishing with five points but making the baskets when the Lions needed them.
 
"She really put an exclamation point on that third quarter; hitting a couple shots and just being in the places that she needed to," says Hughes. "Destiny came in and played serious minutes and I think that energy from her and Amaya both can really make us a lot deeper, especially in conference."
 
The next game will be the Lions conference home opener against the Portland Pilots on Dec. 29.
 

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