Nov. 20, 2009

Complete Release in Downloadable/Printable PDF Format

Interactive Release with Audio:

After a brief stop at home, the LMU men's basketball team will play in back-to-back road games, starting with a trip to the Pac-10, taking on USC at the Galen Center Saturday, Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. It will be the Lions fifth game in eight days. The game can be heard live on KXLU 88.9 FM.

INSIDE THE LIONS
The 2009-10 Lions opened the new campaign missing something - seniors. The Lions roster is one of the youngest in the West Coast Conference as they feature eight freshman, seven sophomores and three juniors. The young and new look of the Lions' roster in the early stages of 2009-10 is shown in the stats as the top scorers where not in a Lion uniform last year, nor was the leading rebounder. Sophomore Drew Viney, who sat last year after transferring from Oregon, has scored 52 points in the last two games and is leading the team with 18.0 per game. Junior Larry Davis shook off the early spring Achilles heal injury by scoring 22 points in his first college game and is second on the team with 14.3 points through the first four games. Davis served his redshirt season after transferring from Seton Hall last year. Vernon Teel, who led the team last year in scoring, is averaging 13.3 points per game this season. Teel has been the spark plug for the Lions, going for 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.25 steals per game. Freshman Edgar Garibay, who earned his first start Wednesday against UC Irvine, averages of 24 minutes a game and leads the team with 6.3 rebounds and 1.75 blocks per contest.

TOUGH BEGINNINGS
The LMU men's non-conference schedule is quite loaded. The Lions will play five of nine games from Nov. 15 through Dec. 12 against teams picked by Sports Illustrated in their annual college basketball preview edition to advance to this year's NCAA tournament. Montana (Nov. 15, Dec. 10) has been picked to win the Big Sky, Tulsa (Nov. 24) has been picked to represent Conference USA, UC Santa Barbara (Nov. 28) has been selected to win the Big West, and Notre Dame (Dec. 12) has been selected to represent the Big East. Also mixed in that stretch is a trip to Wyoming (Dec. 5) of the Mountain West Conference and USC (Nov. 21) of the Pac-10.

A NEW LOOK - QUICK HITTERS THROUGH FOUR
• The Lions scored 87 and 83 points in their first two games, respectively, going for more than 80 points in consecutive games since the 2005-06 season. The Lions defeated San Diego 94-76 on Feb. 6, 2006 and then Pepperdine in overtime, 89-78, on Feb. 11. The Lions are averaging 22.1 more points than a year ago, putting in 77.8 points per game this season after averaging just 55.7 a year ago.
• The 87 points against Boise State was the most since the Lions scored 97 in an overtime win at Mercer on Nov. 24, 2007. It is the most points in regulation since 88 at Pepperdine on Feb. 17, 2007. The Lions had just one game of 70 points a year ago, after four games this season they have three.
• The 23-point win over North Dakota (83-60) was the largest margin of victory since Nov. 24, 2004 when LMU travelled to Greeley, Colo., and defeated Northern Colorado 83-51.
• The Lions had 16 steals in the win over North Dakota, leading to 25 points. It was the most steals in a single game since they had 17 in an 83-79 overtime loss to Portland on Feb. 16, 2002. They have 32 through four games this season. At the same point last year, they had 19.
• Larry Davis scored 22 points in his first game as a Lion against Boise State. It was the best debut by a Lion since Brandon Worthy scored 24 games in his first game as a true freshman on Nov. 22, 2002 against Loyola-Chicago.
• The Lions opened the 2008-09 season going 0-for-8 from the three-point line, snapping a stretch of 375 games with a three-point field goal. It was a different story to start 2009-10 as the Lions went 8-for-17 from behind the arch against Boise State and then 9-for-20 against North Dakota. The Lions are 27-for-59 (45.8 percent) through four games. After four games in 2008-09, the Lions were shot 20-60 (33.3 percent).
• LMU has scored 61 points off turnovers through four games this season. They had 40 through four games last year.
• Freshman Edgar Garibay has seven blocks, sophomore Kevin Young, who set the freshman record last year with 34 blocks, has four, while junior Vernon Teel and Drew Viney have a pair of blocks each this season to pace the Lions, who have 17 as a team. In 2008-09 the Lions did not have a block in their first four games and did not crack a baker's dozen until game 16 of the season against Seattle on Dec. 31, 2008.

- GO LIONS -