Dec. 16, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Loyola Marymount continues its five-game, 10-day tour of southern California with 12th-ranked UCLA at Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. This is the third game of the Lions' brutal stretch of games all in southern California. The stretch started with a trip to UCSB on Saturday and then a home date on Monday with UC Riverside. The trip will conclude with back-to-back home games against Tulsa (Dec. 20, 7 p.m.) and Mercer (Dec. 22, 7 p.m.) The game against UCLA will be the third of eight games on FSN Prime Ticket. It can also be heard on KXLU 88.9 FM and LMULions.com.
DEPLETED ROSTER
Just when it looked like the Lions were starting to get healthy, they find themselves back down to just seven scholarship players heading into the remainder of non-conference. Already with the absence of head coach Bill Bayno (see note below) due to health issues, LMU's roster, which has six newcomers and just three seniors, has gotten much slimmer. They started the season with just 10 eligible scholarship student-athletes, including five new to a Lion uniform. Junior transfer Larry Davis (Seton Hall) and sophomore Drew Viney (Oregon) will redshirt the season due to transfer rules while redshirt sophomore Terron Sutton is out for the year due to a torn ACL suffered in practice this October, and Tim Diederichs, who had played limited minutes in the first three games, requires surgery on his injured right shoulder suffered in the first weeks of practice this season. He will miss the remainder of the season and plans on applying for a medical redshirt. There is more. Leading scorer, rebounder and assist man Vernon Teel broke his right foot against Notre Dame and had surgery Nov. 26 and will be out four to six weeks. Ashley Hamilton, who missed three games due to a back injury, played 22 minutes in his return against UCSB. However, the back injury might keep him out the season as he did not play against UCR. With the injuries, the Lions are down to seven scholarship players, two of which - seniors Corey Counts and Chris Kanne - earned scholarships this summer after playing as walk-ons the last three seasons. Current walk-on Griffin Reilly is the ninth active player and saw his first minutes of action Tuesday at Arizona. The Lions added a 10th player to the roster in walk-on Daniel Latimer.
Bill Bayno
Loyola Marymount University Athletics announced on Sunday, Nov. 23, that Bill Bayno is taking a leave of absence, effective immediately, as the head coach of the LMU men's basketball team. Assistant Coach Max Good will serve as acting head coach during Bayno's leave. "Recently, I was diagnosed with a serious medical condition, in part, related to the stress and anxiety of head coaching," says Bayno. "It will require treatment which will force me to take a leave of absence. It is unfortunate and I feel badly for the University, the coaching staff and most of all my players and their families, all of whom I will miss very much. I ask for privacy for myself and my family and I thank you for your prayers and support." "The LMU Family's greatest concerns are for the wellbeing of Bill and the team," said LMU Athletics Director Dr. William Husak. "His health is the most important thing he needs to focus on right now. He has done great things in his brief time at LMU and has earned the love and respect of all. I have asked Max Good to be our acting head coach during this time period and I have great confidence that Max and the rest of the staff will continue the process Bill began. All of us at LMU are concerned for Bill's wellbeing and he and his family are in our thoughts and prayers."
TOUGH STRETCH
When it rains, it pours never fit better. Playing with just seven scholarship players, Bill Bayno taking a leave of absence and seven of their previous 10 games on the road, the Lions have had to do this with a murderous schedule. The Lions' 10 opponents heading into the UCLA game have a combined record of 59-30 (66.3 percent) while the entire non-conference schedule posts a record of 90-54 (62.5). Only two teams on the schedule have sub-.500 records, UC Davis (4-6) and Cal State Bakersfield (3-7). In addition, this will be the first time since the 2004-05 season the Lions have played at least two ranked teams in non-conference play.
MORE ON THAT YOUTH
Five newcomers on LMU's roster, including four true freshman, have been asked to carry the load for the Lions this season. Sophomore transfer Vernon Teel and freshmen Jarred DuBois, Ashley Hamilton, Kevin Young and LaRon Armstead have combined to play 1,190 of the 2,000 minutes played in 10 games this season, good for 59.5 percent. That number is expected to lower just a tad due to the injured foot of Teel. DuBois leads the group with 34.8 minutes per game, on pace to snap the record by a freshman set by Forrest McKenzie with 29.8 minutes in 1981. Fellow freshman Armstead is quickly catching up, playing all 40 minutes in back-to-back games. He had his stretch of consecutive minutes snapped at 108, getting his first break since UALR. The group has also combined for 381 of the 550 points (69.3 percent) and 209 of the 312 rebounds (61.5 percent).
MORE MINUTES
LaRon Armstead became the first Lion since Jim Williamson in the 1995-96 season to play a complete 40 minutes in back-to-back games. Armstead, who started the season averaging just 22 minutes a game at the Iowa State Tournament, is now averaging 29.9 minutes per game after going 40 minutes against Arizona and then against Wyoming. Williamson averaged 35.7 minutes a game in 1995-96, logging 40 minutes in a 67-63 win over Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 16, 1995 and then 40 minutes on Dec. 19, 1995 in an 82-80 win at Hawaii. That season total ranked seventh all-time in LMU history. The all-time leader is Keith Smith, who logged 38.1 minutes per contest in 1984-85. That season he played 40 or more minutes in 12 games, including a stretch of three straight games of 40 minutes and three more times where he went back-to-back games with 40 minutes.
MAKING A POINT
Freshman Jarred DuBois, who had a 40-minute game of his own against Wyoming, is turning into a floor leader. The true freshman point guard first turned heads with his defense against No. 8 Notre Dame, helping LMU hold first-team All-Big East performer Kyle McAlarney to zero points (0-for-7), forcing him into four turnovers. DuBois has now added offense to that effort, going for 16 points, hitting 4-of-6 from long range against the Irish. He did one better against UALR with 23 points. The point total ranks tied for 12th among single game scoring by a freshman. He added another 16 points against Arizona to move his average to 12.0 points per game and entered the week 11th in the West Coast Conference in scoring. He also entered the week third in the WCC in free throw shooting and raised his average even more after going 4-for-4 against UCR. He now has a .900 free throw percentage. He also started the week fifth in three-point percentage in the WCC, but that dropped after going 0-for-5 at UCR. He now has a percentage of .386 (17-for-44).
ON THE BOARDS
Despite its thin roster, the Lions have been active on the rebounding end of the floor, especially the offensive side. The Lions have 116 offensive rebounds, six more than their opponents. Leading the way has been freshmen Kevin Young and LaRon Armstead who have 67 and 54 rebounds, each in 10 games. Young has games of 13 (Wyoming), 11 (at Arizona, at UCSB) and 10 (vs. Notre Dame) on his resume, ranking second, tied for fifth and 12th respectively for freshman in LMU history. Young has 29 offensive rebounds this season to lead the Lions and is ranked sixth in the WCC. His 6.7 rebounds per game overall is ranked 10th in the WCC. As for Armstead, since entering the starting line-up against Wagner, he has caught fire. He has averaged seven rebounds (42) and 13.5 points (81) in the last six games.
MAKING THEM COUNTS
Senior Corey Counts made sure the Lions didn't go long without a three-pointer, going 5-for-6 from long range against Iowa State. It was the second time in his career he has hit five in a game, hitting the mark while going for 21 points against Gonzaga in the WCC opener a year ago. Counts is 21-for-52 (40.4 percent) from the three-point line in 2008-09, moving his career total to 70-for-182 (38.5 percent) in his career. On the season, he entered the week fourth in the WCC in three-pointers made per game (2.0) and seventh in three-point percentage (41.3%). His career three-point percentage entered the season ranked 11th and is now ranked 9th. His 70 made three-pointers moves him to 14th all-time in LMU history, replacing Chris Nikchevich, who had 68. His 182 attempts is ranked 19th.
INSIDE THE GAME
This will be the 17th meeting between UCLA and LMU, all coming away from the LMU campus. The Bruins have won 11 straight and lead the series 14-2. The last meeting came in Ben Howland's first season in 2003 as UCLA hit a three-pointer with less than five seconds left in overtime to escape with a 69-66 win at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA is ranked 12th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and is 6-2 on the season after a 72-54 win over DePaul on Dec. 13. The Bruins have played 11 players in at least seven of their eight games while the Lions have played just seven players in more than seven of their 10 games.
AGAINST THE PAC-10
The Lions will play their second of two opponents from the Pac-10 this season as fell at Arizona on Dec. 2 and now face UCLA on Dec. 17. It will be the 125th time the Lions have faced a Pac-10 team. They have faced USC the most, playing the Trojans 54 times. The Lions have wins against eight of the 10 teams from the conference, lacking victories against Oregon and Stanford. This was the 10th meeting against Arizona and 17th against UCLA.
SHOOTING TOUCH
Against Arkansas-Little Rock in game two of the three-game road trip, the Lions shot 56.8 percent from the field (21-for-37), 58.3 percent from long range and 83.3 percent from the free throw line. It was the best shooting performance for the Lions in over two seasons and ranks seventh overall in the last decade. The Lions held UALR to just 41.7 percent shooting (25-for-60) and out-rebounded one of the best rebounding teams in the nation by nine (34-25).
TAKE A GOOD LOOK
The Australian forward Marko Deric is the only senior on the Lions' roster who came to the Lions on a scholarship. He enters the UCSB game with 90 games as a Lion, averaging 4.2 per game in his first three-plus seasons. Fellow senior guards Corey Counts and Chris Kanne are former walk-ons who earned scholarships this summer. Kanne is a fifth-year senior who earned his Business degree in May and is now in graduate school at LMU for Business Law. Kanne turned heads this offseason with his shooting and is expected to play more as he enters the UCLA game with 41 career games in three-plus seasons. Counts had a breakout year last season, starting 22 games, leading the team with 88 assists while hitting on 39 percent from the three-point line (37-for-95). Counts has played 69 games as a Lion, hitting 70 three-pointers with 149 assists. Take a good look at seniors this season as Counts, Kanne and Deric will be the only three seniors in the LMU men's basketball program for the next two years as the roster has only one junior and that is redshirt Larry Davis.
HISTORICAL THREE
Since the three-point field goal was introduced in the 1986-87 season, LMU has had just one game where they have not had a three-pointer. Well, in the first game with the three-point line pushed back a foot they had their second, snapping a streak of 375 games snapped. The Lions went 0-for-8 against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, marking just the second time they went without a three. The only other "miss" came on Dec. 19, 1995 when the Lions went 0-for-6 in an 82-80 win over Hawaii. That game snapped a 271 consecutive three-pointer streak for the Lions. Heading into the game against UCLA, in the 657 games the Lions have played since the three-point line was instituted, the Lions have hit three-pointers in 655 of them. The Lions have never gone without a three-pointer in WCC play.
DEFENSE
It might not show in the record, but the Lions and their zone defense has frustrated opponents. First it was No. 8 Notre Dame, holding first-team All-Big East performer Kyle McAlarney to zero points. The senior McAlarney averaged 15.1 points a year ago and hit 108 three-pointers (hitting 44 percent) and then went on to hit 39 against No. 1 North Carolina a week later. Freshman Jarred DuBois and senior Corey Counts held him to 0-for-7 from the field and 0-for-4 from long range, forcing him into four turnovers. The Lions then held Arizona's Chase Budinger to just 10 points in 27 minutes, more than 12 points less than his average entering the game. Then last week against Wyoming, holding the Mountain West Conference's highest scoring team more than 20 points under its season average. The Lions held Preseason All-American Honorable Mention selection, Brandon Ewing, under double digits for the first time in 21 games, dating back to the middle of last season. On top of that, the Lions held a Cowboys team that averages better than 48 percent from the field to 40 percent and 28 percent from behind the arc. Against UC Riverside, they limited the Highlanders to a season low 59 points on 25.9 percent shooting from the three-point line (7-for-27).
THE TEEL DEAL
Sophomore Vernon Teel was named to the World Vision Classic All-Tournament team after an impressive opening act for the Lions. The native of Jamaica Queens, New York, averaged 19.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in the three games in Ames, Iowa. He finished with 58 points in the tournament, going for 23 points, six rebounds and three assists against UC Davis; 17 points, 13 rebounds and three assists against Iowa State; and putting in 18 points with nine rebounds and two assists in his debut against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
FSN PRIME TICKET
The LMU-UCLA game is the third of eight games for the Lions on FSN Prime Ticket and FSN West. The Lions and FSN Prime Ticket have agreed to do three of LMU's home games this season, including the Notre Dame game, Santa Clara on Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m., and the final home game of the season against Saint Mary's on Feb. 28 at 5:00 p.m. Additional games that FSN Prime Ticket/FSN West will carry for the Lions will be Jan. 1 at Seattle (FSN-PT/6:30 p.m.), Jan. 24 vs. Gonzaga (FSN-PT/5:00 p.m.) and Feb. 19 at Gonzaga (FSN-West/6:00 p.m.).
RECORD SELLOUT
For the first time in program history Loyola Marymount played their home opener against No. 8 Notre Dame in front of a sellout crowd of 4,534, breaking the all-time Gersten Pavilion record. The record was originally set with 4,525 on Feb. 20, 1988 in a 142-127 win over Pepperdine. It is the 16th sellout in LMU history, just the third in a non-conference game and the first in a home opener. The sellout was the first since the Lions hosted fifth-ranked Gonzaga on Feb. 18, 2006 and joins Oklahoma and UC Santa Barbara as the only sellouts against a non-conference foe in the 29 years of Gersten Pavilion. In the second game of the 1989-90 season, the Lions had their first-ever sellout against a non-WCC foe when they drew a capacity crowd of 4,156 in a 104-101 win over UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 9, 1989. Then on Dec. 23 the Lions drew a standing room only crowd of 4,210 as the Lions fell to ranked Oklahoma 136-121.
LIONS IN OT
LMU is 28-42 in overtime games with the first overtime game coming in the 1926-27 season against California Christian College, a 16-14 win for the Lions. As for double overtime, the Lions improved to 9-1 with the win over Boise State in 2006, winning their sixth straight. The longest game in LMU history was a five-overtime affair against Fresno State in 1957. The Lions lost 92-90.
TAKING ON THE RANKED
The Fighting Irish entered the game against LMU ranked eighth in the Associated Press poll and ninth in the Coaches polls. UCLA enters 13th and 12th in those respective polls and will be the 91st meeting for LMU against a ranked opponent. The last win for the Lions against a ranked team was in the 1990 NCAA Tournament when LMU defeated No. 23 Alabama 62-60 to advanced to the Elite Eight. The game against the Irish was the 30th time the Lions have taken on a ranked team since defeating the Crimson Tide on March 23, 1990.
- GO LIONS -
