Nov. 11, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Upcoming Schedule

LMU at Bank of Hawai'i Invitational
Afook-Chinen Civic Center, Hilo, HI

Friday, November 14
LMU (0-0) vs. Hawai'i (0-0) 7:00 p.m. PT

Saturday, November 15
LMU (0-0) vs. Arizona (0-0) 2:00 p.m. PT

Sunday, November 16
LMU (0-0) vs. Toledo (0-0) 2:00 p.m. PT

Live audio is available with Angie Kiel through Stretch Internet on Lions All-Access at LMULions.com.

Briefly
The 2008-09 regular season gets underway this week as LMU travels to the Big Island of Hawai'i for the season tip-off Bank of Hawai'i Invitational. The Lions, coming off a 15-15 campaign last season and a dominating exhibition win last week, will be tested right away with three games in three days. LMU makes its season debut on Friday at 7 p.m. Pacific against tournament hosts Hawai'i. On Saturday, the Lions get a taste of Pac-10 action versus Arizona. The round-robin tournament concludes Sunday with LMU taking on Toledo.

Listen To And Follow The Lions Live On The Web
Loyola Marymount University, in conjunction with Stretch Internet, is proud to present FREE live audio broadcasts over the World Wide Web on www.LMULions.com. Join Angie Kiel all season long for all the Lion home and games in 2008-09. Angie will be joined on select home broadcasts by Patrick Duggan and Will Callanen. Just click on the "Listen" or "Archive" link next to the game of your choice. All broadcasts will be archived within 72 hours of their original airing and will include both the pre-game and post-game shows.
All home games and select away games will be available live on Gametracker through the LMU website. Check www.LMULions.com for all Gametracker live stats information.

Media Guide
The 2008-09 LMU women's basketball media guide is now available to download at www.LMULions.com. Copies are also available through the LMU Media Relations Office for $10 per guide.

Coming to a Game?
If you are planning to attend a game at LMU this season, then be sure to reserve your tickets today by ordering online at www.LMULions.com or calling the LMU Ticket Office at (310) 338-LION. The Loyola Marymount University campus is located in Westchester at 1 LMU Drive, approximately four miles north of the Los Angeles International Airport. Visitors must use the main entrance off of Lincoln Blvd. on LMU Drive. Parking for Gersten Pavilion will be in General Parking Lot A.

About the Bank of Hawai'i Invitational
The University of Hawai'i's annual tip-off tournament is moving from Honolulu to Hilo this year. The four-team, round-robin tournament this year features hosts Hawai'i, LMU, Arizona, and Toledo and will be played at the University of Hawai'i-Hilo's home court, the Afook-Chinen Civic Center. Arizona and Toledo open the tournament on Friday before LMU takes on Hawai'i. Last year's tournament was won by UC Davis.

About Hawai'i (0-0)
Hawai'i opens the 2008-09 campaign at its home tournament but not on its home court, as the Rainbow Wahine have to travel to the Big Island this year. In its only exhibition contest of the preseason, UH defeated BYU-Hawai'i 66-60 on October 27. Megan Tinnin had 14 points while Dita Liepkalne added 10 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
Jim Bolla is in his fifth season as head coach at Hawai'i, where he has a record of 56-57. He has a 356-177 career coaching record. Last year, the Rainbow Wahine went 12-18 overall and 6-10 in the Western Athletic Conference. They return two starters and seven letterwinners.
LMU and Hawai'i last met on December 7, 2006 when the Lions won 79-69 at Gersten Pavilion. That snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Rainbow Wahine, who own an 8-1 all-time record against the Lions.

About Arizona (0-0)
Arizona makes the trip to Hawai'i coming off an 85-33 exhibition win last Tuesday against Oklahoma Panhandle. The Wildcats got 20 points from Reiko Thomas as five players reached double figures. Amina Njonkou had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds, Ashley Frazier had 13 points, and Sarah Hays and Jhakia McDonald each added 12.
This is Niya Butts' first season in Tucson, where she takes over a program that went 10-20 last year and 4-14 in the Pac-10. The Wildcats return four starters and five letterwinners.
Arizona won its only meeting with LMU, 74-66, on November 21, 2005 in Arizona.

About Toledo (0-0)
Toledo dropped its exhibition game in overtime on November 3, 76-70 to the Ohio Legends. Naama Shafir led three Rockets in double figures with 15 points, adding eight assists and seven rebounds. Lisa Johnson and Amber Heistan each added 14 points.
Head Coach Tricia Cullop enters her first season at Toledo, carrying with her a 123-110 career coaching record. Last year, the Rockets went 14-16 overall, reaching the Mid-American Conference semi-finals after going 5-10 in conference play. They return six letterwinners and two starters.
LMU and Toledo have met once before, also on a neutral court. LMU held on for a 56-53 victory at the Xavier Tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 17, 2006.

Last Week Recap: Lions Roar in Exhibition Rout
LMU was impressive in its lone exhibition contest of the 2008-09 season, thumping Point Loma Nazarene 92-52 on Saturday at Gersten Pavilion. The Lions never trailed in the contest, forcing 33 turnovers and putting four players in double figures. Junior Lisa Helmers led all scorers with 24 points, including a scorching 8-for-11 from three-point range. She hit seven three-pointers in the second half, including six in a seven-minute stretch in which she scored 18 of LMU's 22 points. Freshman Alex Cowling just missed a double-double in her collegiate debut, finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds. Senior Cassady Moore had 12 points and game-highs of four steals and four assists while sophomore Renahy Young, last season's leading scorer, added 10 points. Eleven of the 12 Lions who played scored.
The Lions started the game on an 13-2 run and extended that to 20-6 on a three-pointer by junior Kavita Goss in 15:16 remaining. That was one of three first-half triples for Goss as the Lions hit on five of their first nine long-range attempts. The lead increased to 35-14 with eight minutes left and Helmers got hot in the second half to seal the win.

LMU in Hawai'i
This will be the fourth time that LMU will participate in a tournament hosted by the University of Hawai'i. LMU previously visited Honolulu in 1993, 1998, and 2002 and has posted a 2-4 record in such tournaments. At the Hawai'i Paradise Classic that opened the 1993-94 season, LMU went 1-1, defeating Northern Illinois but losing to Hawai'i. In 1998 at the Ala Moana Hotel Paradise Classic, the Lions again were 1-1, losing to Texas Tech before bouncing back with a win over James Madison. In their last visit to the Ala Moana Hotel Paradise Classic, the Lions lost to Hawai'i and Chattanooga.

LMU in Season Openers
This year marks the 27th season of women's hoops at LMU and the Lions are 12-14 all-time in season openers. In Julie Wilhoit's tenure, LMU has lost four consecutive season openers, all on the road, and is 3-9.

Lions Picked Second in WCC Preseason Coaches Poll
Coming off a fourth-place finish in 2007-08, LMU has been picked to finish second in the WCC in 2008-09, according to the preseason coaches poll. The Lions return eight letterwinners and 12 players overall on a roster that features 11 freshmen and sophomores. LMU received 40 total votes and one first-place vote. Regular season champions Gonzaga were the top vote-getters with 49 points and seven first place votes. WCC Tournament champions San Diego were picked third with 37 points, followed by Saint Mary's (29 votes), Santa Clara (20), Pepperdine (19), Portland (16), and San Francisco (14).

Young Selected to Preseason All-WCC Team
Announced at the same time as the preseason coaches poll was the 2008-09 preseason all-conference team. Included in that group is sophomore Renahy Young, who is one of three sophomores on the list. Last year, Young became just the second freshman to lead LMU in scoring at 10.9 ppg while earning spots on the All-Freshman and Honorable Mention teams. She was LMU's top scorer in nine games, notching three 20+ point outings and scoring in double figures 17 times.
Young did her part in the exhibition win, shooting 4-for-8 and scoring 10 points with three assists and three steals.

Helmers Takes the Helm
On a team with 11 underclassmen, it is up to the juniors and seniors to take the lead. Junior Lisa Helmers has adopted that mantle and has been named a team captain for 2008-09. LMU's best long-range threat in 2007-08, Helmers hit 59 three-pointers, the fourth-most in a single season at LMU and scored in double figures 10 times. She was also the only player to be named to the all-tournament teams at both of LMU's home tournaments, averaging 12.7 ppg while sinking 14 triples in the four games. Overall, Helmers improved her scoring average from 1.5 ppg as a freshman to 7.6 as a sophomore. This year, she could not have had a better exhibition game, connecting on 8-of-11 from three-point range for a game-high 24 points, which would have topped her career-high of 16 had the game counted.

Defensive Stopper
For the last three seasons, Cassady Moore has been one-half of a prolific defensive tandem, joining up with Amanda DeCoud to wreak havoc in the backcourt. Now that DeCoud has graduated as the school's #2 all-time thief, it is time for Moore to take the spotlight in her senior season. With 111 career steals, Moore is on pace to finish among the LMU top-10, needing just 37 steals to enter the ranks. Offensively, Moore started last season with a bang, leading the Lions with 12 points in each of the season's first two games. Unfortunately, a knee injury sidelined her for the next five games and she only reached double figures once the rest of the way. Once again healthy, Moore had 12 points and four steals vs. Point Loma Nazarene.

Breakout Player
The biggest step-up last season came from Jenna Sybesma, who led the Lions in scoring in each of their final four games and seven of the last nine. Sybesma began the year in a slump but broke out with back-to-back 19-point outings against Northern Arizona and Fresno State. As her confidence returned, she had an LMU season-high 29 points in the win over Cal State Bakersfield and followed that with 18 points, including her first career three-pointer, in the win at Portland. She went through another slump, scoring a total of four points in the next five games, but broke out in a huge way down the stretch, reaching double figures in each of the final nine contests to finish the year third on the team at 10.0 ppg while shooting 49% from the floor. Now a senior and possessing an array of moves, Sybesma is the Lions' go-to option in the post.

Goss Gets Rolling
The Lions' fourth and final upperclassman on this year's roster, junior Kavita Goss is poised to battle for the starting point guard spot vacated by Amanda DeCoud. Goss primarily came off the bench last year but was effective enough to finish in the WCC top-10 in assist-to-turnover ratio. Her 28 three-pointers made were third on the team and she led the Lions in scoring twice - at Cal and at Georgetown, where she scored a career-high 17 points, including 14 in the first half. Goss connected on her first three three-point attempts in the exhibition and finished with nine points.

Toughness in the Post
With the graduation of Valerie Ogoke, all eyes will be on sophomore Aleyse Evans as the Lions' newest defensive and rebounding force. Evans and Ogoke were dominant last season, with each finishing among the WCC leaders in rebounds and blocks per game. Although just a redshirt freshman at the time, Evans opened her college career with back-to-back double-digit rebound outings, going on to pull down a career-high 15 boards against Saint Mary's on January 19. LMU's 1-5 finish to the season can be partly attributed to a late-season foot injury that kept Evans out of two games and severely limited her production in the other three. Another year older, healthier, and stronger, Evans has worked to improve her game on offense as well as defense. She pulled down six boards in the exhibition.

Jess is Back
Although Evans' injury was a factor in LMU's limp towards the finish, it was the torn ACL suffered by Jessica Vargas on December 5 that had a larger impact on the direction of LMU's season. At the time of her injury, Vargas was averaging 8.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 51.8% from the floor. Her hustle on both offense and defense was infectious to the team but her injury left the Lions without as much depth at guard. Vargas' injury could be a blessing in disguise for LMU as she was granted a medical redshirt and is still just a sophomore, although she adds another upperclassman presence. After rehabbing her knee and working to get stronger, Vargas looked good coming off the bench in the exhibition, swiping three steals and dishing two assists to go along with two points.

Don't Rest on these Lions
Among the remaining LMU returners, there is an assortment of experience and talent that could prove to be the ace in the hole. Sophomore Melanie Ysaguirre appeared in all 30 games, contributing a solid 3.2 average for both points and rebounds and shooting almost 52% from the floor. Ysaguirre earned the start in the exhibition game and responded with four points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes.
Another post player who could make an impact is Maggie Burkett. Last year as a redshirt freshman, Burkett saw limited action. An offseason spent getting quicker and stronger has helped her hone her skills and she will add depth in the Lion frontcourt. She was also impressive on the boards against Point Loma, pulling down seven rebounds to go along with four points.
A trio of players enter their second season at LMU but first on the court after redshirting last season. Guards Taylor Shead, Lauren Wilkins, and Candice Nichols all learned the system in practice last year and are ready to step in and contribute. Shead and Wilkins both played well in the exhibition game. Nichols could prove to provide the biggest boost to LMU as she becomes eligible in December after sitting out the first part of the season due to NCAA transfer rules.

Lions Welcome Cubs
Three more players will start their LMU careers this season. Freshmen Alex Cowling, Mikah Maly-Karros, and Monica DeAngelis are all highly-decorated freshmen who have the capability of leaving a lasting impression before their careers are over. Cowling (Benecia, CA) was a Second Team All-American and named Player of the Year by Sports Focus (NCS), San Francisco Chronicle (East Bay), and Contra Costa Times. Capable of playing four positions, Head Coach Julie Wilhoit has been impressed with the seamless transition Cowling has made to the college game. She showed that transition in the exhibition, narrowly missing a double-double with 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting and a game-high nine rebounds.
Maly-Karros (Manhattan Beach, CA) put herself among some lofty company in high school as she broke Lisa Leslie's CIF Southern Section rebounding record. The Daily Breeze Player of the Year, Maly-Karros can be another Lion who is difficult to contain down low. She had seven points, five rebounds, and two steals in 12 minutes vs. Point Loma.
DeAngelis (Santa Monica, CA) was a prolific three-point shooter and would have been competing right away for the starting point guard slot if it was not for an offseason injury that will cause her to miss the entire 2008-09 year. Still, her ability to read game situations and learn from the sidelines will only benefit the Lions in 2009-10.

Takin' a Look at the Schedule
The word for 2008-09 is "tournaments". LMU has three non-conference tournaments lined up to get them ready for the 2009 WCC Tournament, which for the first time will be held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The Lions kick-off the season in Hilo, Hawai'i, as they face Hawai'i, Arizona, and Toledo with three games in three days. After the home opener against Long Beach State, the Lions will host the 12th annual Ayres Hotels Thanksgiving Tournament. LMU will look to defend its title, opening against Idaho State and then facing either Georgetown or North Dakota State. The 2008 calendar year comes to a close with the Courtyard by Marriott L.A. Westside Holiday Tournament at Gersten Pavilion, in which the Lions will welcome San Jose State, Delaware, and Stony Brook. The WCC season will again be a tough one as the teams gear up for Vegas.