March 4, 2006

Loyola Marymount University will play Saint Mary's College in the second semifinal of the 2006 West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Championships on Sunday, March 5 at approximately 7:20 p.m. The Lions earned the number two seed of this year's tournament, claiming a bye all the way to Sunday's semifinal. Saint Mary's, the number three seed, became the opponent when they defeated Santa Clara, 76-72 in overtime during the quarterfinals on Saturday night. The game will be televised live on ESPN2 and can also be heard on Lions' All-Access, through KXLU 88.9 FM and LMULions.com.

The Series:
Saint Mary's holds a 68-52 edge in the all-time series as the teams will meet for the 121st time. However, it will only be the second time since the WCC tournament began in 1987 the Gaels and Lions will meet in postseason play. The only meeting came the last time the Lions were in the semifinals and the only time the Gaels won the WCC tournament. The Lions, as the No. 8 seed, upset No. 1 Santa Clara in the 1997 WCC tournament to advance to the semifinals. The Gaels, the No. 2 seed, earned a 80-62 win over the Lions and went on to defeat San Francisco 66-59.

All Worthy vs. Gaels:
Saint Mary's and LMU split the season series in 2006 with both winning on their home floor as they both tied for second in the WCC this season. In both meeting junior Brandon Worthy was nearly unstoppable as he combined to score 59 points, going a combined 17-for-30 from the field (56.7 percent) and 22-for-26 from the free throw line (84.6 percent. He added 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals. He scored a career-best 32 in the win, going 14-for-18 from the free throw line. In Moraga, he hit for 27, going 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.

The Stats:
In the two meetings this season, the team who hit better than 50 percent from the field earned the win. Here are the stats from the two meetings:

LMU STATISTICS
Date	 Score	W/L	FG	FGA	Pct	3FG	FGA	Pct	FT	FTA	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Avg	PF	A	TO	Blk	Stl	Pts	Avg
01/23/06	78-70	W	29	57	.509	3	6	.500	17	24	.708	6	30	36	36.0	16	21	17	5	7	78	78.0
02/27/06	70-82	L	24	60	.400	3	10	.300	19	24	.792	12	20	32	34.0	25	12	14	3	7	70	74.0
Totals	148-152	1-1	53	117	.453	6	16	.375	36	48	.750	18	50	68	34.0	41	33	31	8	14	148	74.0
SMC STATISTICS
01/23/06	78-70	W	27	64	.422	5	16	.313	11	13	.846	8	26	34	34.0	21	11	18	0	7	70	70.0
02/27/06	70-82	L	26	47	.553	6	14	.429	24	32	.750	7	26	33	33.5	22	14	17	4	7	82	76.0
Totals	152-148		53	111	.477	11	30	.367	35	45	.778	15	52	67	33.5	43	25	35	4	14	152	76.0

Twist of Fate:
For the second time in two seasons, the Lions will play their first game of the WCC Championships against the team that gave them a defeat in the final game of the regular season. The Lions ended the 2004-05 season with a setback on the road to Pepperdine and then again in the first round of last year's WCC tournament. The same thing has happened for the Lions this season as they will face Saint Mary's College in the second semifinal of the tournament. The Gaels were the last team the Lions faced as the Gaels earned an 82-70 win in Moraga.

Out of the Gates:
According to first-year head coach there are three stages to a season, preseason (non-conference), conference and postseason. To date the Lions have come out strong in the first two stages, winning the first game of the season on the road over BYU, 83-71, and then started conference by winning their first three, including an 86-84 buzzer beater at home against San Diego to start WCC play.

Lions in the Tourney:
The Lions are 11-16 all-time in the West Coast Conference tournament, winning it twice (1988, 1989) in their only trips to the championship game. As for the semifinals, the Lions have played in that round four times, winning twice, both coming against Pepperdine in the championship seasons of 1988 and 89. They have lost to Saint Mary's (1997) and Portland (1995).