This blog is written by Ray Ferrari, a sophomore Communication Studies major from Eugene, Ore. Ray works in the LMU Sports Media department, is a leader of the ROAR Student Section, is a former sports writer at The Los Angeles Loyolan, and is a member of The Crimson Circle service organization. His weekly recap of LMU Athletics will be posted here every Tuesday allowing for a quick glance at the week that was in Lion Sports.

With baseball and golf beginning play last week, spring sports are now in full swing and hoping to provide some Lion success as the basketball teams continue to struggle towards the end of the winter season.

The baseball team started their season at home over the weekend with a series against the visiting Utah Utes. After a sloppy Friday game left LMU with a 6-3 loss, the Lions then turned the series around with stellar pitching. The Lions won 1-0 on Saturday and 11-2 on Sunday to take the series and advance to 2-1.

The golf team had its first tournament of the spring last week at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. The tough course conditions left the Lions scrambling all week, which resulted in a tenth place finish out of 12 teams. Now, LMU is currently playing in the Folino Invite at Industry Hills Golf Club in Industry Hills, Calif., which will finish play later this week.

After a strong 3-1 start, the women's tennis team hit a bump last weekend in Santa Barbara. A long match with UCSB brought play into dusk and with no lights on the court, two of the singles matches had to be decided by quick tiebreakers rather than a third set, which led to a heartbreaking 4-3 loss for the Lions. LMU was then defeated again the next day 6-1 by the University of Colorado.

LMU track and field competed at the Pomona-Pitzer All-Comers meet over the weekend. The highlight of the meet for the Lions was junior Kevin Joerger winning the 3000-meter race. Many other lions set personal records at the meet as well.

The men's basketball team went 0-2 on the weekend yet again, extending their losing streak to ten games and dropping them to 1-12 in WCC play. At Pepperdine on Thursday, it looked as if the Lions were finally going to get a win but a pair of missed free throws by the Lions and a basket by the Waves in the final minute gave Pepperdine the 52-50 win. At home against Saint Mary's on Saturday, the Gaels roster was just too big and too deep to handle, defeating the Lions 61-50 in front of the parents' weekend crowd.

The women's basketball team only had one game last week, which was a home loss against San Diego on Thursday. The 66-59 defeat was close, but LMU trailed the entire game. The loss dropped the Lions to 3-9 and seventh place in the conference.

Swimming, women's water polo, softball, and men's tennis were off last week but will return to play next weekend.

This blog is written by Ray Ferrari, a sophomore Communication Studies major from Eugene, Ore. Ray works in the LMU Sports Media department, is a leader of the ROAR Student Section, is a former sports writer at The Los Angeles Loyolan, and is a member of The Crimson Circle service organization. His weekly recap of LMU Athletics will be posted here every Monday allowing for a quick glance at the week that was in Lion Sports.

As the basketball teams continue to struggle, disappoint, and sometimes embarrass the LMU community, the fan base is beginning to look towards the spring sports season with hopes of Lion success.

The sun is out and the grass is looking good at Page Stadium, where the baseball team will open up its season this weekend when they host Utah for a three-game series. Tuesday night in the batting cages, the LMU baseball program is having its first event of the new "10th Man" project in hopes to gain more of a fan presence in the stands at baseball games for 2013.

Softball opened up their 2013 season last weekend in St. George, Utah, where they played five games in three days in true collegiate softball fashion. The Red Desert Classic gave LMU five games against five opponents to kick off the year. The Lions started off strong with a 9-0 win over Colorado St. and a 6-0 win over Weber St. The Lions also beat Utah St. 3-0, but lost games against Utah and Arkansas for a 3-2 tournament record. 

The women's water polo team also had a big weekend, going 3-1 with three of the four games decided by two goals or less. At the UCSD Triton Invitational, LMU opened play against the host team, #19 UC San Diego, which ended in a bitter 8-7 loss. The Lions then went on to win the rest of their games with big wins over Marist, CSU Bakersfield, and #10 Michigan.

Women's tennis also continued its early season hot streak last week with a 7-0 sweep of UC Riverside at home. The Lions are now 3-1 and undefeated at home to start the 2013 campaign. They will continue their full, tough non-conference schedule next weekend against UC Santa Barbara and Colorado.

The men's tennis team is still trying to find its rhythm early on in the season. The Lions are in the midst of a long and exhausting road trip, containing match after match of tough competition. This along with three crucial injuries has resulted in a 0-6 start after falling to UC Santa Barbara 6-1 and losing 5-2 at Cal Poly.

The women's basketball team finally got a much-needed win last week, when they took down Santa Clara 71-50 at home last Thursday. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak but was followed with a game against first place Gonzaga, in which the Lions lost 70-56.

As for the men's basketball team, most of you know the story. The Lions have displayed a fruitless offense all year and continue to live and die by the three. And for a team that is bad at shooting threes, that means lots of death. LMU continued to shoot terribly from the field in the Northwest over the weekend, as the team dropped to 1-10 in WCC play after a 69-60 loss at Portland and a 74-55 loss at Gonzaga.

This blog is written by Ray Ferrari, a sophomore Communication Studies major from Eugene, Ore. Ray works in the LMU Sports Media department, is a leader of the ROAR Student Section, is a former sports writer at The Los Angeles Loyolan, and is a member of The Crimson Circle service organization. His weekly recap of LMU Athletics will be posted here every Monday allowing for a quick glance at the week that was in Lion Sports.

Lion pride is at a true low point around campus these days, with most LMU teams continuing their slumps over the past week. 

In what some might call the most anticipated LMU sporting event every year, the men's basketball team had no answers for the visiting Gonzaga Bulldogs. Last Thursday, LMU hosted Gonzaga in front of a packed Gersten Pavilion with hopes of upsetting the No. 7 Bulldogs, who are undefeated in the WCC. But the Lions failed to get stops on defense or baskets on offense, which added up to an embarrassing 88-43 loss. 

The women's basketball team had an unpleasant visit to the Northwest over the weekend, dropping another two conference games, extending their losing streak to four. Thursday night, the Lions fell to Gonzaga 79-57 before losing another close game with Portland, 65-63 on Saturday.

In their final meet before the season finale at the MPSF Championships, the LMU swimming team dropped a pair of decisions at UC Santa Barbara Saturday. At the double dual meet, the Lions fell to host UCSB 176-85 and also lost to Pacific 159-103. This meet ended the Lions' regular season, as the team will now begin preparation for the conference championships in two weeks.

The women's tennis team provided the highlight of the week when they upset No. 39 Long Beach St. at home 4-3 on Friday. The big non-conference win took the Lions to 2-0 to start the season. However, their luck changed when they went on the road Sunday as LMU was swept 7-0 to No. 65 UC Irvine.

The men's tennis team had a tough test at hand on Sunday as they took on No. 2 USC, who has dominated the region for years. The Lions lost 6-1 and dropped to a bitter 0-4 to start 2013.

While most of the teams in season are struggling, other teams are making coaching moves in hopes to foster future success. The women's volleyball team just named Ron Larson as its top assistant coach. Larson is the former head coach at UC Riverside and has also helped coach the U.S. Olympic team. The softball team just added Katie Schroeder to the coaching staff as well. Schroeder was a two-time All-American for UCLA before graduating last year. 

This blog is written by Ray Ferrari, a sophomore Communication Studies major from Eugene, Ore. Ray also writes sports for the Los Angeles Loyolan and is a leader of the ROAR Student Section. His weekly recap of LMU Athletics will be posted here every Monday allowing for a quick glance at the week that was in Lion Sports.

After a long road trip that included a weekend in Alaska over the break, the men's basketball team finally returned home last week for two games at Gersten Pavilion. Thursday night against Long Beach St., the Lions came out firing and went up by double digits early. But a 49ers comeback ended the hard-fought match giving LMU the 73-70 loss. Saturday the Lions took on Portland St. for the annual homecoming game. A pregame tailgate and t-shirt giveaway got the LMU fan base behind their team and helped them to a 66-56 win and a 4-4 record.

The women's basketball team found similar results in their first week back after their Thanksgiving tournament. At home Wednesday, the Lions easily handled Colorado St. and won 69-52. LMU then headed across town to face UCLA on Sunday, where they lost 86-66 to the No. 19 Bruins.

The volleyball team played their first postseason match since 2005 on Friday when they went to Palo Alto to face Western Kentucky. After receiving the unexpected bid to the tournament the week before, the Lions were thrilled to extend their season. Unfortunately the No. 17 Hill Toppers (32-3) were too much to handle as they swept LMU 25-23, 25-19, 25-17.

Three LMU swimmers were invited to compete at the U.S. Winter National Championships last weekend in Austin, Texas. Senior Camille Hopp appeared in two events, the 100 breaststroke, in which she recorded a season-best time, and the 50 freestyle. Junior Rachel Dekar raced in the 100 breaststroke as well while freshman Kristen Clarno swam in the 200 intermediate medley. All three swimmers finished their preliminary race in the top 50. The event featured the top swimmers in the country, which included a number of Olympians.

This blog is written by Ray Ferrari, a sophomore Communication Studies major from Eugene, Ore. His weekly recap of LMU Athletics will be posted here every Monday allowing for a quick glance at the week that was in Lion Sports.

While most students were at home celebrating Thanksgiving and relaxing over the break with their families, the basketball teams had work to do, both travelling outside the continental U.S. for holiday tournaments. But the most exciting news of the week for Lion Sports came calling Sunday afternoon when the volleyball team received a bid to the NCAA tournament.

After finishing the season on a loss at San Francisco that sent the volleyball team to a mere 8-8 record in the conference, most of the LMU community gave up on hopes of postseason play. But the NCAA saw the WCC as one of the premier conferences in the nation and invited a record-tying six teams into the 64-team field. This will be the first LMU volleyball team in the field since 2005 and first under third-year head coach Tom Black. The Lions will head back to Northern California this week for the Palo Alto regional, where they will face Western Kentucky (32-3) on Friday.

The men's basketball team went to the Last Frontier over the break for the Great Alaska shootout in Anchorage. On national television Thursday night, the Lions took on Oral Roberts. After a tight first half, ORU took control late to drop the Lions 75-66. In the consolation game Friday, LMU got back on track with an easy win over Texas State 78-63. And in the consolation final against host Alaska-Anchorage, nothing would drop for the Lions as they shot under 27 percent from the field en route to a 83-77 loss.

The women's team found a bit warmer weather than the sub-freezing temperatures in Alaska on their trip to the Bahamas for two games, but was just as cold on the floor. The Lions came out slow in their first game, shooting just 22 percent from the field in a low-scoring 55-33 loss to Iowa State Friday. LMU was able to salvage the trip in a thrilling 75-74 victory over Tulsa on Saturday in which they overcame a 20-point deficit on their way to their first road win of the year.

This blog is written by Ray Ferrari, a sophomore Communication Studies major from Eugene, Ore. His weekly recap of LMU Athletics will be posted here every Monday allowing for a quick glance at the week that was in Lion Sports.

Fall sports are officially over for 2012 here at LMU with water polo, volleyball, and cross country wrapping things up over the weekend. The campus is starting to slow down, as students are getting ready for the much-needed five-day break to celebrate Thanksgiving before returning for the final stretch of the semester.

The men's water polo team finished their season at the WWPA Championships in Whittier, Calif. last weekend. Friday, the Lions beat Pomona-Pitzer 13-11 in the opening round. Saturday, the Lions' hopes of a conference championship were washed away in a heartbreaking 10-9 loss to #13 Air Force. In the consolation final Sunday, LMU went out with a win as they defeated #16 UC Davis 12-7 to take third place in the tournament.

Volleyball's final weekend resembled much of their season as they earned one big win and then lost a close one. The Lions entered the final round of conference games with a slight outside shot at making the NCAA tournament, giving them something to fight for. LMU opened up strong on the road, sweeping Santa Clara 3-0 on Thursday. But at San Francisco on the final day of the season, the Lions fell 3-2 in five sets. LMU will now take a few weeks off before getting ready for the sand volleyball season in the spring.

Senior Sheree Shea represented LMU at the NCAA Cross Country National Championships Saturday in Louisville, Ky. She was the lone Lion to qualify for the meet after strong performances all fall and an 11^th place qualifying finish at the West Regionals in Seattle, Wash. last weekend. Shea ran the 6,000 meter event in a time of 21:23.2.

Men's basketball earned their first road win of the season in a 76-73 decision at CSU Bakersfield. The Lions jumped out to a fast start, going up 16 points early before CSUB came charging back at home. The game wasn't pretty, but the Lions will take the result and improve to 2-1. LMU is now off to Anchorage, Ak. for the Great Alaska Shootout, where they will play three games over the Thanksgiving weekend. 

Women's basketball got its first two wins of the season in the first two home games of the year last week. On Thursday, the Lions beat visiting Long Beach St. 58-52 and Saturday, the team put up 98 points in a 17-point win over Utah St. The 98 points is the most scored by the Lions since 2007 and the third most in program history.

The LMU swimming team had a big weekend at the Arena Invitational in Long Beach, Calif., sending multiple swimmers to event finals on each day in a very competitive field. Freshman Kristin Clarno set the LMU record in the 200 IM with a time of 2:02.98. LMU's 200 medley relay team also broke a school record over the weekend with a time of 1:44.23. Many Lions also set season and career personal records. 

This blog is written by Ray Ferrari, a sophomore Communication Studies major from Eugene, Ore. His weekly recap of LMU Athletics will be posted here every Monday allowing for a quick glance at the week that was in Lion Sports.

The heart and soul of LMU athletics in back with basketball season underway all across the country.

Friday night in front of a packed home student section, the LMU men's team put on a show, destroying Pacifica 108-49 with stat padding and slam-dunks abound. The 108 points was more than an LMU team had scored in two decades. In the Lions' first real test at SMU on Sunday, that offense was nowhere to be found as the Lions lost 73-58.

The women's basketball team opened up their season on a road trip throughout the Southwest this weekend. The Lions fell 79-51 at UTEP on Saturday in the first regular season game for new head coach Charity Elliott. LMU will look to salvage the trip tonight when the take on New Mexico St.

In their final weekend of play, the men's soccer team ended their season in style on a five game unbeaten streak. Friday, the Lions drew a 0-0 tie against Santa Clara who finished second in the WCC. In their final game on Sunday, LMU beat Saint Mary's 4-2 in a heated shootout, ending the year at 4-5-3 and tied for fifth in the WCC.

Volleyball also had a strong weekend, grinding out two key wins. The Lions beat No. 24 Pepperdine 3-1 in the final home match of the year to improve to 7-7 in conference play. In a non-WCC game Saturday, the Lions came back from down two sets to win in five on the road at Cal State Northridge.

Men's water polo went on the road last Thursday to end regular season play at Cal Baptist. The Lions barely came out on top 8-7, making it four wins in a row with three of those being decided by a single goal. The Lions are now 15-9 overall, heading into the WWPA Championships this week 

Both cross country teams competed in the NCAA West Regionals in Seattle, Wash. over the weekend. 10 of 14 LMU runners set personal records at the meet, with senior Sheree Shea finishing in 11^th place and qualifying for the NCAA National Championships next Saturday.

Both tennis teams wrapped up their fall schedules this weekend with the men at the SoCal Intercollegiates hosted by UCLA and the women at the Jack Kramer Invitational in Palos Verdes, Calif. Both teams sent a handful of players to their respective events and are now off until January when their main spring seasons will begin. 

This blog is written by Ray Ferrari, a sophomore Communication Studies major from Eugene, Ore. His weekly recap of LMU Athletics will be posted here every Monday allowing for a quick glance for the week that was in Lion Sports. 

The open to the 2012-13 LMU men's basketball season comes at a perfect time tomorrow with midterms mostly finished and the student body at the peak of their excitement in between two Halloween weekends. But let's talk about what has already happened in the wide world of LMU sports.

Lion water polo got back on track this week when the 11^th ranked men's team won both of its WWPA matches to improve to 9-2 in conference play. Friday, LMU scored the game-winning goal with nine seconds left to beat #16 UC Davis on the road. Saturday, the Lions won again on the road when they took down #19 Santa Clara 12-7.

Volleyball had a strong week as well, which began Thursday in Malibu when they took #23 Pepperdine to a fifth set before losing a close one. Pepperdine needed 32 points to win the first set and 28 to win the second set before LMU took back the third and fourth sets, which led to a close loss in the final deciding set. At home Saturday, the Lions took care of business against Gonzaga when they won 3-0 in a quick and efficient sweep.

After a strong season of races, the Lion cross country teams both took 5^th place at the WCC Championship meet in Portland, Ore. Leading the men was junior Weston Strum who finished seventh overall while the women's race saw senior Sharee Shea take third overall. The Lions will compete at the NCAA West Regionals in Seattle starting on November 9.

Men's soccer had their bye week the previous week and after 12 days without a match, the team came out slow on the road against WCC leader San Diego when they fell 2-0 on Wednesday. Sunday, the Lions ended a four-match losing streak when they drew a tie against San Francisco at home. This gave the Lions their fifth point and keeps them at sixth place in the conference.

The women's soccer team also saw a streak end but unfortunately this was not a good thing. After winning three games in a row, the Lions had a tough stay in the Northwest, losing to Gonzaga 2-0 on Friday and losing to Portland 2-0 on Sunday. Remaining with nine points, the women are now tied for fifth place in the WCC.

Continuing its start to the season, the swim team had another strong showing at the Malibu Invitational over the weekend. The LMU women won two of the three distance events and won 11 out of the 14 sprint and mid-distance events.

The LMU men's golf team wrapped up their fall season last week at the Bill Cullum Invitational at Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley, Calif. After three rounds of play, the Lions finished the tournament in ninth place.

This blog is written by Ray Ferrari, a sophomore Communication Studies major from Eugene, Ore. His weekly recap of LMU Athletics will be posted here every Monday allowing for a quick glance for the week that was in Lion Sports. 

Friday, one of the biggest nights every year in Lion Athletics occurred when LMU held its annual Madness at Midnight event. The night got fans excited for the upcoming basketball season, introducing everyone to the players of both the men's and women's teams. Players from both teams competed in a free throw contest, a three-point contest, as well as a dunk contest for some of the men. Along with showcasing the basketball talent, Madness was also an opportunity for the student body to see all of the school's Division I sports teams on display through dance competitions, which the softball team won. The night included food trucks and giveaways for students as well.

The women's soccer team had a huge weekend, earning six points through two conference victories. On Friday in Malibu, LMU destroyed then ranked #15 Pepperdine 3-0 getting all three goals in the first eleven minutes of play. Then at home Sunday, the Lions defeated San Francisco 1-0 after scoring 11 seconds into the first overtime period.

LMU Volleyball had an impressive weekend, also getting two much-needed wins. In the Northwest for the weekend, the Lions improved to 5-1 on the road this season as they swept Gonzaga Thursday and beat Portland in straight sets as well on Saturday.

An injury-filled men's water polo team continued to sink over the weekend, losing to two conference rivals. The #9 Lions had been on a roll with a seven-game winning streak before a series of setbacks led the Lions to drop matches to #1 USC a week ago and to #10 Long Beach St. and to #11 UC San Diego over the weekend.

In the final race before the WCC Championships, the men's and women's cross country teams sent four runners a piece to tune up at the Titan Invitational in Fullerton. The Lions did not have enough runners for the teams to place but will be in full force at the conference championship meet in Portland next weekend.

The men's tennis team competed at the ITA Regional tournament in Irvine over the weekend. Four Lions competed in singles and doubles events with the #7 seeded duo of Nicholas Bjerke and Sebastian Bustamante still alive in the doubles semifinals. In singles, Bjerke also advanced to the round of 16.

The women's tennis team was in San Diego for their ITA Regional tournament. April Bisharat and Reka Rohonyl both advanced to the round of 32 in singles competition while Kristine Kouyoumjian made it to the semifinals in the consolation bracket before the final two rounds were rained out.

The men's golf team went abroad last week for the Cabo Collegiate tournament in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. What was meant to be a three round event turned into only 18 holes of competition as day two could not be finished and day three never began due to rainy conditions. Tyler Torano's 72 was good for a tie for second place in the tournament with his back nine score of 33 good for the best nine-hole score in the event. The team finished in ninth place. 

National television coverage commences Thursday, March 1

SAN BRUNO, Calif. --- The West Coast Conference announced today that BYUtv will produce and broadcast eight games from the 2012 Zappos.com West Coast Conference Basketball Championships at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.  BYUtv will broadcast the men's and women's second round on Thursday, March 1, the women's quarterfinals on Friday, March 2 and the women's semifinals on Saturday, March 3.

In addition, all eight games produced by BYUtv will air live on ESPN3 and seven of the eight games will be carried by ESPN Full Court. This is in addition to the six games that will be televised live by ESPN: the men's quarterfinals on ESPNU, men's semifinals on ESPN2, women's championship on ESPNU and men's championship on ESPN. 

"We are enthusiastic about partnering with BYUtv at the Zappos.com West Coast Conference Basketball Championships for the second consecutive year," WCC Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich said. "In addition to our multiple broadcasts on ESPN, BYUtv will help enhance both our national and international exposure for the tournament.
"We are thrilled that BYU Basketball joined the prestigious West Coast Conference," said Derek Marquis, Managing Director of BYUtv. "And we're equally excited to provide coverage of the 2012 Zappos.com West Coast Conference Basketball Championships to fans who wouldn't otherwise be able to watch their favorite teams in action."
BYUtv is currently in over 60 million homes nationwide on DirecTV, Dish Network and approximately 600 other cablesystems throughout the United States. BYUtv is also available in HD via live streaming and video-on-demand through byutv.org, BYUtv iPhone/iPad apps, and Roku or Google TV devices. A comprehensive list of where to find BYUtv is available at http://byutv.org/getBYUtv.

Here is a game-by-game look at media coverage for the 2012 Zappos.com West Coast Conference Basketball Championships:
 
Wednesday, February 29
Women's Game #1: No. 8 vs. No. 9, 3:00 p.m.
(Live streaming on WCCsports.com)
 
Men's Game #1: No. 8 vs. No 9, 6:00 p.m.
(Live streaming on WCCsports.com/Audio: Sirius Satellite Radio)
 
Thursday, March 1
Women's Game #2: No. 8/9 vs. No. 5, 12:00 p.m.
(BYUtv/ESPN3/ESPN Full Court)
 
Women's Game #3: No. 6 vs. No. 7, 30 min. after game #2
(BYUtv/ESPN3/ESPN Full Court)
 
Men's Game #2: No. 8/9 vs. No. 5, 6:00 p.m.
(BYUtv/ESPN3/ESPN Full Court/Audio: Sirius Satellite Radio)
 
Men's Game #3: No. 6 vs. No. 7, 30 min. after game #2
(BYUtv/ESPN3/ESPN Full Court/Audio: Sirius Satellite Radio)
 
Friday, March 2
Women's Game #4: No. 5/8/9 vs. No. 4, 12:00 p.m.
(BYUtv/ESPN3/ESPN Full Court)
 
Women's Game #5: No. 6/7 vs. No. 3, 30 min. after game #4
(BYUtv/ESPN3/ESPN Full Court)
 
Men's Game #4: No. 5/8/9 vs. No. 4, 6:00 p.m.
(ESPNU/ESPN3/Audio: Sirius Satellite Radio)
 
Men's Game #5: No. 6/7 vs. No. 3, 8:00 p.m.
(ESPNU/ESPN3/Audio: Sirius Satellite Radio)
 
Saturday, March 3
Women's Game #6: No. 4/5/8/9 vs. No. 2, 12:00 p.m.
(BYUtv/ESPN3/ESPN Full Court)
 
Women's Game #7: No. 3/6/7 vs. No. 1, 30 min. after game #6
(BYUtv/ESPN3)
 
Men's Game #6: No. 4/5/8/9 vs. No. 2, 6:00 p.m.
(ESPN2/ESPN3/Audio: Sirius Satellite Radio)
 
Men's Game #7: No. 3/6/7 vs. No. 1, 30 min. after game #6
(ESPN2/ESPN3/Audio: Sirius Satellite Radio)
 
Monday, March 5
Women's Game #8: Championship Game, 12:00 p.m.
(ESPNU/ESPN3)
 
Men's Game #8: Championship Game, 6:00 p.m.
(ESPN/ESPN3/Audio: Westwood One Radio)

WOW!

I just want to thank all of the students, parents and families, alums, faculty/staff, LionsFund members and all Lion fans who came to cheer on the Lions against Valpo in the BracketBusters game last night.  

You were difference makers! Tonight, with your spirit and enthusiasm, we made an impression on national television.

We cannot thank you enough.

I hope to see you again for our last two games on Thursday and Saturday.  These are BIG games for the team and Saturday is senior night.  Come and say farewell to Drew, Laron and Tim in their last home game.  All three have unique stories, but in the end they are Lions to be proud of how they have represented anyone associated with LMU.  

Again thank you for making last night so special.

Go Lions!

2012 Zappos.com WCC Basktball Championships ticket/hotel update
Hotel rooms going fast, single-game tickets expected to be available

SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Hotel rooms are selling fast for the 2012 Zappos.com West Coast Conference Basketball Championships at the Orleans Arena. The event begins on February 29 and runs through March 5 as 18 teamscompete for two automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament.

The conference has released the following ticket and hotel information for the championships and information will be regularly updated on WCCsports.com in the days leading up to the event:
 
Ticket Availability
All-session tickets are sold out.  However, a limited number of single game tickets are expected to be available each morning during the tournament at the Orleans Arena box office.  Any single game tickets available will go on sale at 10 a.m. each day for that day's games.

Hotel Availability
The WCC block for championship weekend at the Orleans Hotel still has limited availability, but fans are encouraged to book quickly to ensure rooms at the special WCC rate. Rooms can be reserved by calling 1-800-675-3267 or visiting www.orleanscasino.com/groups and using booking code 2WCCFAN.

The Palms Casino and the Palms Place and Spa, both official corporate partners of the West Coast Conference for the thirdstraight year, are also offering special WCC room blocks and rates. The Palms will also run a free shuttle to-and-from the Orleans Arena, beginning approximately two hours before tournament games.
 
For more information regarding the 2012 Zappos.com West Coast Conference Basketball Championships, please visit WCCsports.com.

LISTEN TO WCC LIVE | WCC on Twitter | WCC on Facebook | WCC on YouTube

From the West Coast Chatter blog ...

SAN BRUNO, Calif. -- Happy New Year from the West Coast Conference! Although we're just a week in, conference play in the WCC is off to another entertaining start. It's going to be a wild ride, and I personally can't wait to see where we end up.

First off, join us every Wednesday night for your chance to interact with WCC coaches and student-athletes on our famous WCC Live talk show. This popular Internet radio talk show airs each Wednesday from 8 to 9 p.m. Pacific. On this week's show, host Jeff Lampe will chat live with Santa Clara sophomore Evan Roquemore, LMU sophomore Anthony Ireland, USF senior Rheina Ale, and Saint Mary's sophomore Stephen Holt. Best of all, you can take part! Submit questions any time by e-mail (radio@westcoast.org); Twitter (@WCCsports); or on our Facebook page (Facebook.com/WCCsports); or by phone (877-779-6383) during the live broadcast.

If you can't catch the show live, don't worry. You can listen on-demand anytime. You can even download the show for your mp3 player, free of charge. The link to tune-in: http://blogtalkradio.com/wccsports

Also, we're bringing back the popular "Road to Las Vegas" web video series. Each week, join host Ted Robinson and other WCC correspondents as they bring you men's and women's highlights and interviews. On the first show (set to debut on January 4), we get to know LMU junior Alex Cowling, the WCC's leading scorer. In addition, Sean Farnham hosts a round table discussion with head coaches Marty Wilson, Rex Walters, and Eric Reveno on what it takes to build a program. New this year, we'll take you Around the WCC in a fast-paced segment to get you caught up on the latest WCC news. New episodes of "The Road to Las Vegas" can be seen on WCCsports.com and on our YouTube channel every Wednesday leading up to the tournament in Las Vegas.

SAN BRUNO, Calif. - The West Coast Conference will hold its 2011-12 men's basketball tip-off event at neighboring YouTube headquarters on Thursday, October 27. The event will give West Coast Conference fans the ability to interact with all nine WCC head men's basketball coaches through three different mediums, all available on WCCsports.com.

The day begins at 12:30 p.m., with each WCC coach doing the live video interview in which fans can submit questions via Twitter and Facebook. The video interview with each coach will be streamed live on both YouTube.com and WCCsports.com. In addition, the coaches will participate in a live blog chat through the Cover It Live platform, taking questions from fans about the upcoming season.

LMU Head Coach Max Good will be the featured on the video stream interview at 2:30 p.m. He will also participate in Cover It Live Chat with fans at 1:15. In addition to the live content from YouTube headquarters, interviews and other features will be aired throughout the 2011-12 season.

Coach Good will also sit down with play-by-play announcer Jeff Lampe for WCC Live, the live internet talk show that will preview the team's season. The special edition of WCC Live will originate from the YouTube lobby and air from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. PDT.

Also at the event, each head coach will participate in a three-coach round table discussion on a variety of topics, with the chats to air on a future episode of The Road to Las Vegas during the WCC basketball season. Coaches will also spend one-on-one time with media members in attendance.

For more details, to tune in, and to participate, fans can visit the tip-off event Web Central. To ask questions of coaches via Twitter, please use the hashtag #WCChoops. On Facebook, post comments to the wall on Facebook.com/WCCsports.