Dec. 30, 2011

For the first time since the league started in 1955, the West Coast Conference began play before the New Year, and for LMU men's basketball, it will take them to San Francisco as the Lions face USF on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. This year's conference slate will feature 16 games thanks to newcomer BYU, who became the WCC's ninth member, marking the first time since 1979 the league has expanded. The Lions will play five of their first seven on the road, including two against the Cougars. The LMU-USF game can be heard on KXLU 88.9 FM and online at LMULions.com.

LMULIONS.COM GAMEDAY: GAME: Game 14: LMU (7-6, 0-0) at USF (9-5, 0-1) DATE/TIME: Dec. 31, 2011 // 5:00 p.m. (PST) LOCATION: War Memorial Gym • San Francisco, CA TV: None RADIO: KXLU 88.9 FM (Jeff Lampe) WEBCAST: USFDons.com LIVE STATS: Live Stats RESOURCES: Interactive Yearbook Media Almanac LMU Game Notes Interactive Game Notes

INSIDE THE LIONS • LMU finished non-conference play by hitting the century mark for the third straight season, earning a 100-74 win over Vanguard on Tuesday. The Lions improve to 7-6 on the season as they head into conference play. • Drew Viney returned to the line-up on Tuesday and scored a game-high 29 points with eight rebounds. He has played three games on the season and is averaging 16.3 points per contest. He is one of three Lions (active) in double figures for the season. Sophomore Anthony Ireland averages 13.9 while junior Jarred DuBois averages 10.2. Senior LaRon Armstead averages 9.9 points per game. • As for Ireland, he has 21 assists the last two games, going for a career-high 11 against Morgan State on Dec. 21. According to records, its is the most in back-to-back games since Terrell Lowery in 1990. He leads the team with 5.15 apg, ranking third in the WCC. • The Lions are 3-1 in their last four games against ranked opponents. They started the season with a 69-58 win over No. 17 UCLA and with the win over No. 22 Saint Louis, they have now beaten a ranked-opponent in consecutive chances for the first time since the 1989-90 NCAA Tournament. • The Lions lead the league in free throw percentage, hitting 72.6 percent. The Lions' top-six scorers hit better than 73 percent, including Ron Armstead's 87.8 percent, which as of Dec. 28 is second in the conference. He is 36-for-41 on the season. Jarred DuBois leads the team at 90.5 percent (19-for-21 - but doesn't qualify for WCC rankings). • The Lions enter Saturday's game ranked second in the WCC with a +1.92 turnover margin. The Lions are second in the league by forcing 15.6 turnovers per game. They forced the Billikens into a season-high 15 turnovers for an 18-8 edge in points off turnovers. They outscored Columbia 28-8 in points off turnovers thanks to forcing a season-best 24 turnovers on a season-best 13 steals. They then forced 21 turnovers on 12 steals against La Sierra for a 26-12 edge in points off turnovers, and scored 23 points off turnovers in forcing Idaho State in into 18 on Dec. 10. • LMU also leads the league in three-point field goal defense, holding opponents to 31.2 percent from long range. The Lions have held seven teams under 30 percent for the game, including UCLA's 13.3 percent and North Texas' 15.8 percent.

THE ROSTER Junior Ashley Hamilton, who was the Lions' leading scorer after two games, played 16 minutes against Harvard, scoring eight points before he left with a injury to his right foot. He is out through mid-January and will not open conference in San Francisco... Two-time All-WCC selection and two-time leading scorer Drew Viney had the start of his redshirt senior season delayed due to surgery on his left foot. He injured the foot right before the official start of practice in mid-October. He played two of the three games at the DoubleTree LA Westside Centennial Classic and did not play again until going 26 minutes with 29 points in win over Vanguard to close non-conference play.

GAME #14 This will be the 141st meeting between USF and LMU, and the first time the Lions will play them in their conference opener since Jan. 7, 2005 when the Lions defeated the Dons at Gersten Pavilion 68-65. The Lions are 23-31 in WCC openers overall, with the last victory in an opener coming on Jan. 7, 2006 (at home vs. San Diego, 86-84). The Dons swept the series a year ago by a total of three points, defeating the Lions at Gersten Pavilion 61-60 on Jan. 26 and then 77-75 at War Memorial on Feb. 26. The Dons fell to Pepperdine to open conference play on Thursday in Malibu, 77-61. The Dons are 9-5 overall, going 6-1 at War Memorial. They have winning streaks of five games and four games on the year and enter Saturday's game on a two-game skid, falling at Holy Cross 88-83 on Dec. 22. Four Dons average in double digits with senior Angelo Caloiaro leading the team with 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.