| One of the more memorable moments came as the Lions posted a 16-game winning streak that spanned three seasons from Feb. 25, 1987 through Nov. 28, 1988. In that span, the Lions posted a 14-0 mark at home in the 1987-88 season.
The Pavilion has also hosted the highest scoring basketball game in NCAA Division I history when Loyola Marymount defeated U.S. International 181-150 on Jan. 31, 1989. In addition, it served as host to the WCC Tournament in 1990 and 1997.
The Pavilion opened its doors on Jan. 15, 1981 with a men's basketball 83-68 loss to Santa Clara. The Lions' first win came eight days later with a 66-62 victory against St. Mary's.
To this day the Pavilion keeps bringing them in as the 2005-06 season saw the third-largest crowd in school history with 4,482 saw the Lions take on fifth-ranked Gonzaga in a game televised by ABC. It was the first trip to the campus for the network as the Lions fell to a career-best performance by the future No. 3 pick in the NBA draft. Three years later, eighth-ranked Notre Dame came to LMU, where a record 4,534 fans saw the Lions' upset bid fall short in the final seconds. Then in 2009-10, LMU defeated its highest ranked opponent in Gersten Pavilion (and highest since 1961), knocking of No.9 Gonzaga. Then in 2011-12, the Lions defeated another ranked opponent, this time previously unbeaten and No. 23 Saint Louis.
In 2011-12, Gersten Pavilion saw more people go through its doors for a single basketball season in its 30-plus years. In posting the best record since the Elite Eight season, LMU racked up 12 home wins, the most ever at Gersten Pavilion. In the process, 49,597 fans watched the games, the most ever in a single season.
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| The 63,000-square foot facility boasts a functional design, featuring rounded columns at each corner, separated by mirrored glass. It houses the athletic programs' extensive weight rooms, and top-of-the-line training and medical facilities.
In December of 2000, a state-of-the-art scoreboard system was put into Gersten Pavilion. The scoreboard includes LionVision, a giant multi-camera videoboard at the south end of the facility. In the Summer of 2001, a new energy saving event lighting system was installed and the ceiling was repainted white to enhance the on court lighting.
More enhancements were made shortly thereafter. In 2006, the center court floor was completely redesigned and resurfaced. The two side courts were resurfaced the year before. In addition, a state-of-the-art sound system was put into place, replacing the buidling original sound solution. The new system features more than 65 speakers through the Pavilion, including speakers in the lobby, atrium, restroom and founders room.
In the summer of 2007, the entire lower seating sections in the arena where replaced with new Crimson chairbacks and bleachers.
More enhancements have been made the last few years. In 2013, the lobby and main restrooms were renovated. The locker rooms and training room were given the same renovation in the summer of 2015. The training room was expanded by more than 2,000 square feet and features a new wet treatment room.
Heading into the 2015-16 season, LMU installed a state-of-the-art LED system from Daktronics, complete with a center-hung scoreboard and LED message marquee over the concessions stand in the atrium. The system also features two LED ribbons on the north and south walls, LED press and scorer's tables and a south wall stats LED display. The system is capped with an end plate at the bottom of the center-hung scoreboard that reads "This is Hank's House."
In August 2019, Gersten Pavilion unveiled a new court design and lighting improvements prior to the start of the 2019-20 seasons. The LMU Athletics mark shines as the center court focal point, and faces the student section where the television cameras are positioned for national and regional broadcasts. Below the center court logo sits a darkened wood stain of palm trees that evoke the spirit of LMU's coastal location in Los Angeles.
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One of the unique elements of the court is the transition of colors that gives each baseline its own character. Primary colors take focus before converging along the two sidelines. The new West Coast Conference logo is proudly displayed along each basketball key and volleyball service line. Court lines for volleyball and basketball allow for an easy transition between sports, with the extended men's three-point line visible for the first time in NCAA history.
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In addition to the new floor, the overhead lighting has been improved throughout the arena. Industry leader Musco Lighting's new additions to Gersten Pavilion will make the games brighter than ever. Additionally, the new system allows for creative programing during starting lineup introductions, breaks in the action, and following critical plays.
Built to accommodate the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the Pavilion served as the host site for the weightlifting competition of the Games. More than 1,000 people were involved with the staging of the event, which attracted the largest number of weightlifting competitors in the history of the Olympics. More than two million people were brought into the Pavilion through television, radio, newspapers and wire services that attended the competition.
Prior to the Olympics, Gersten was the site of the McDonald's Gymnastics Classic in 1983, featuring the best male and female gymnasts from the United States and the former Soviet Union. In 1991, the Pavilion was the venue for the men and women's volleyball and boxing preliminaries at the U.S. Olympic Festival. It has been host to top basketball camps in the country, hosting LMU alumnus Pete Newell and his Big Man's Camp for NBA players. It has served as one of the official practice homes of the L.A. Lakers, L.A. Clippers and currently the L.A. Sparks.
The Pavilion was named in honor of Albert Gersten, father of LMU regent Albert Gersten, Jr., a 1974 LMU graduate. The Gersten family was the largest single donor to the construction project.
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