Gersten Pavilion

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Gersten Pavilion

Gersten Pavilion, entering its 28th year as the host of LMU's indoor athletic events, is the centerpiece of the LMU athletic complex. Opening in 1981, Gersten Pavilion has become one of the toughest places to play in the West Coast Conference and one of the premier athletic facilities in Southern California.

While hosting men's and women's basketball and volleyball, the Pavilion has seen its share of memorable moments in the history of collegiate athletics.

Men's Basketball in Gersten
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. On Feb. 20, 1988, during the winning streak, Gersten set the attendance record with a standing-room-only crowd of 4,525 in a 142-127 win over rival Pepperdine. The Pavilion seats 4,156.

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 perofrmance by the future No. 3 pick in the NBA draft.

Women's Volleyball in Gersten
The volleyball Lions first moved into the facility in 1982 and recorded 14 wins in Gersten's inaugural season.  Since 1990, the Lions have posted an overall record of 187-76 (.711) in the friendly confines of the Pavilion. In conference play, the record is equally impressive with a 99-42 (.702) home record in WCC action. In 28 years, the 1996 (WCC volleyball championship team and sweet sixteen participant) and 2003 (NCAA 2nd round appearance) squads have been the most successful with 14-1 marks, for .933 winning percentages.

One of the largest regular season crowds gathered in 2004 to see LMU top local rival Pepperdine 3-1 in West Coast Conference action. With 1,142 fans in attendance, it was the largest Gersten Pavilion crowd since LMU hosted the playoffs during the 1996 Sweet Sixteen season.

Women's Basketball in Gersten
The women's basketball team won the program's first conference championship in 2003-04, going 14-1 in WCC play to earn their first trip to the NCAA tournament. The Lions were dominating at home, going 12-1 in Gersten Pavilion. It was the most wins and best home record for the program, who has been nearly unbeatable, going 51-14 at Gersten the past five seasons.

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 the last two years. 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.

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.

Largest Gersten Pavilion Crowds

Men's Basketball Year-by-Year Records

Women's Basketball Year-by-Year Records

Women's Volleyball Year-by-Year Records (since '90)

- GO LIONS -

Updated: July 21, 2010