Jan. 24, 2003

Los Angeles, CA (Jan. 24) - According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word rival is "to try to excel" above another or when "one of two or more are trying to get what only one can have." For the 100th time since joining the West Coast Conference in 1955, Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine will battle it out on the basketball floor to earn what only one can have, a victory in one of the fiercest rivalries in the WCC.

It is the longest running series for both programs, who will be meeting for the 134th time overall. Since the teams joined the West Coast Conference in 1955, Pepperdine holds a slim 52-47 edge. However, the Lions are 33-26 in the all-time series dating back to 1941 when played at their home court, which is where the game will be played this Saturday, Jan. 25 at 7:35 p.m. It will be the eighth consecutive meeting the game will be televised regionally, this year on Fox Sports West 2.

For assistant coaches Byron Jenson of the Lions and Wyking Jones of the Waves, this 100th meeting will be through a different perspective.

"My senior year we made t-shirts that were less than kind towards LMU," said Jenson, who is in his third season as an assistant coach for LMU but graduated from Pepperdine as an All-Conference performer in 1993. "This was the one game on the schedule that was do or die. There are 14 games on the conference schedule, but two were against our conference rival. You always wanted those more than any other."

Jenson has gone from wearing one T-shirt to now donning the crimson and navy as part of Head Coach Steve Aggers' coaching staff. "I will always remember the games between LMU and Pepperdine. My passion during my playing days is still there for this series, but I am a Lion now."

For Jones, who finished his four-year playing career at LMU in 1995 with 1,076 points and 493 rebounds, he has made the switch as well, joining Pepperdine Head Coach Paul Westphal's staff in the 2001-02 season.

"I was thinking about how both Wyking and I have switched roles in this rivalry and it is another twist to this series," said Jenson, who played against Jones in the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons. "I still have tapes when we played against one another. This is a meaningful game, probably for both of us."

Pepperdine has won eight of the last nine in this series. However, the series has been known for the unexpected, including the last time the Lions defeated the Waves. Pepperdine entered the game in 1999 with a six-game winning streak and sitting in first place in the WCC with a 7-1 record. The Lions were 4-4 and came away with a 90-77 win thanks to a young nucleus of talent. Freshman Robert Davis scored 16 points and sophomore Elton Mashack added 10 rebounds and five blocks to help the Lions to the win.

The unexpected continued in the 1997-98 season when the Lions, with a record of 4-12 at the time, went to Firestone Fieldhouse and upset the 9-6 Waves in overtime, 81-79. Three days later, Pepperdine traveled to Gersten Pavilion and earned a 70-67 win.

Splits in the series were a common trait in the 1990s, as the teams split six times (1990, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999). One of the toughest splits for LMU came in 1990, when the Lions, going for their second perfect WCC season in three years, suffered a 131-123 set back to their rival in Malibu. It was the only loss for the Lions in conference play, as they went on for their famous Elite Eight run that season.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s it was either the Lions or the Waves who dominated the West Coast Conference.

The battles in the late 1980s were some of the most memorable in conference history. In 1985-86 the Lions went 19-11 and 10-4 in the WCC, advancing to the NIT with an 80-75 win over California and losing to Wyoming 99-90 in the second round. Pepperdine went 25-5 overall that year and 13-1 in the WCC, losing to Maryland in the NCAA West Regional.

After a sub-par season in 1986-87 for both the teams, the Lions would rebound and have the best season in school history in 1987-88, going 28-4 overall and a perfect 14-0 in the WCC. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament, defeating Wyoming in the first round, 119-115, and then losing to North Carolina, 123-97. Pepperdine finished 17-13 overall and 8-6 in the league after a 109-106 loss to the Lions in the semifinals.

The Lions won the WCC tournament title once again in the 1988-89 season, losing to Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA tournament 120-101 to finish 20-11 overall and 10-4 in the WCC. Pepperdine joined LMU in the 20-win category, going 20-13 overall and 10-4 in the WCC, losing once again to the Lions 112-98 in the semifinals of the WCC tournament.

Then in 1989-90 the Lions had one of the most memorable seasons in NCAA history as they advanced to the Elite Eight and finished 26-6 overall and 13-1 in the conference. LMU would finish with a three-year record of 37-5 in the WCC from 1987-1990. Pepperdine finished 17-11 and second in the WCC with a record of 10-4 in 1990.

- GO LIONS -