Lions hold off Anteaters to finish non-conference play at .500

Drew Viney led the Lions with 22 points in tonight's win over Irvine | Photo taken by Julia Pine

Drew Viney again had a big game against UC Irvine (6-8), leading LMU (7-7) with 22 points and ten rebounds to an eventual 87-80 win. Five players scored in double figures for the Lions, who allowed a 19 point second-half lead dwindle down to four with just four minutes remaining. Clutch free throw shooting from Anthony Ireland pushed the lead back to eight with less than a minute to play and the Lions held on for the win, snapping a two-game losing streak.

The Lions have now finished non-conference play, and stand at an even 7-7 on the season.

Viney had his seventh double-double of the season and guard Vernon Teel had added 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Teel also went 10-13 from the free throw line. Point guard Anthony Ireland chipped in 15 points and six assists, going a perfect 6-6 from the stripe.

Larry Davis and Tim Diederichs scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Lions played without center Edgar Garibay, and center Godwin Okonji had early foul trouble, leaving LMU somewhat shorthanded in the front court. Despite playing with less size, LMU outscored UC Irvine 38-18 in the paint, and out-rebounded them 37-28.

The Lions will now have a week off to prepare for WCC play. The conference schedule starts with a bang for LMU, as they host defending WCC Tournament champs St. Mary's on Thursday. The game tips off at 6 p.m and can be seen on ESPNU.

Update: Future Lion Bruce English starting season strong

Bruce English, who signed his NLI in Novemeber to join LMU's men's basketball team next fall, is starting his senior season strong for the La Verne Lutheran boys basketball team. English most recently led the Trojans (2-1) to an opening round win on Tuesday at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C, contributing a team-high 24 points and 13 rebounds.

The Trojans lost their second game of the tournament, but were again led by English who put in a team-high 17 points.


English is currently the only recruit committed to the Lions for the 2011 recruiting class. At the conclusion of the season the Lions will say goodbye to at least guards Vernon Teel and Larry Davis, who will have both used up their D-I eligibility, meaning there is still one roster spot open for next season.

Lions look to even record in final non-conference game tomorrow

Drew Viney is leading the Lions in scoring and rebounding this season | Courtesy of Facebook

The Lions (6-7) head to UC Irvine tomorrow for their final non-conference match-up of the season.The Anteaters, who also sit on a 6-7 record, are coming off of three straight losses, the most recent being a five-point loss to UC Riverside last night.

The Lions are also looking to snap a losing streak, having dropping two straight decisions to Florida State and then South Dakota. The Lions and Anteaters faced off in LMU's home opener last season, but despite holding a 14-point lead (sound familiar?) and receving a 30-point game from Drew Viney, the Lions eventually fell 84-78.

LMU will look for revenge tomorrow against a team who has had an up and down season. Before losing to UC Riverside last night, UC Irvine played UCLA down to the wire less than one week ago. Although losing by one point, the Anteaters put together an extremely solid game.

UC Irvine has faced two WCC teams already this season, faring 1-1 in the contests. The Anteaters beat a struggling San Diego team on December 1 before falling to Pepperdine by seven-points two weeks ago. The team is led by Darren Moore, who is leading the squad with 16.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

The game tips off in Irvine at 7 p.m. After that, the Lions will open their WCC schedule at home on Jan. 6 against Saint Mary's.

Just For Fun

I'm guessing Lions fans could use a laugh at this point, so I decided to try something new (and the picture was too good to keep to myself). Feel free to leave "captions" in the comment section below.

Photo taken by Julia Pine

Shout-out to Ben from Max's Maniacs (Max Good's unofficial fan club) for constantly providing LMU fans with extra entertainment during the home basketball games.

Observations after rewatching the Florida State game

Drew Viney, pictured here sporting a new navy away jersey, has yet to find his long-range jumper this season. | Photo courtesy of Facebook

I sat down and re-watched the LMU vs. Florida State game today, thanks to ESPNU and my tivo, and had a few observations I wanted to share:

• The announcers must have said at least five times that there "needed to be more movement within the LMU offense." I can't say it better myself. There are too many times when players without the ball are stationary, and the LMU offense is relying too heavily on making isolation plays.

• Anthony Ireland needs to take the open three when its there. 

• As I stated in my column earlier today, we NEED to have better defensive adjustments mid-game. In the Florida State game Drew Viney was being beat up inside by Singleton, one of the Florida State big man. It wasn't Viney's fault, Singleton is a bigger, stronger body, but instead of making an adjustment and double-teaming, LMU left it alone and got punished inside  

• Florida State scored in nearly every possession after a timeout. We struggle to do that every game.

• Announcer said down the stretch, "I want to see LMU get Viney a touch this possesion." It didn't happen. I don't know how many times I've uttered that phrase, and didn't get my wish.

• They replayed highlights from last year's win over Gonzaga. The best sports moment I've ever been present for. However, I do have to say that watching clips from last year it is apparent that Drew Viney's outside shot is not where it was last year. He's still our biggest offensive threat, but I don't know what changed; he's not shooting the three in the rhythm he was last season and it can't be denied that it's hurting us.* Last year he shot 43 percent from beyond the arc, this year that number is down to 26. Let's hope he finds his groove for WCC play, because having that inside/outside game makes him so much more of a weapon.

*Drew Viney, despite his shooting struggles, is still leading the Lions in scoring and is invaluable to the team. His shot may have been affected by his shin injury, but regardless you can't argue with the fact that his three just isn't there consistently right now.

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Failing to adjust/improve plagued Lions non-conference season

The Lions have failed to make mid-game adjustments this season | Julia Pine

The Lions (6-7) last non-conference game of the season is this Thursday, as the team will face UC Irvine looking to bring their record to an even .500. Heading into this season expectations for LMU were higher than they had been in years, and with a weak non-conference schedule many (including myself) thought the Lions would have a substantially better record heading into the new year than they do now.

With as much talent as last year, if not more, on this season's roster the Lions struggles are unexpected. The team returned two First-Team All WCC players in Drew Viney and Vernon Teel, in addition to adding impressive freshman like Anthony Ireland and Godwin Okanji who have not only played well for freshman but have succeeded most expectations. Yes, the Lions have faced injury trouble again this year, but that is nothing new, and a season ago LMU was able to play through its injury trouble almost flawlessly.

For things to turnaround for conference play it is extremely important that the team's problems be examined, accepted, and hopefully corrected.So far this season, the Lions biggest problem has been failing to adjust and/or improve throughout the course of the game.

Out of LMU's seven losses this season, I would argue that there are five any Lions fan should still be pretty bitter over, especially if you take into consideration the talent of this year's team compared to last. In my humble opinion, I don't think the Lions should have lost any games other than the team's matchups against Florida State and UC Santa Barbara, games that I watched LMU play hard throughout before eventually losing to what is probably just a better team.

The season started off with a brutal home loss to Morgan State, a game in which the Lions led by four points at the half and as many as 14 mid-way through the second period. Seemingly looking content with a large lead, the Lions played with no sense of urgency or toughness down the stretch, allowing Morgan State to shoot 53 percent in the second half after holding them to just 37 percent in the first. The result was a two-point loss, and some may say props should be given to Morgan State for adjusting their offense and finding a way to attack the Lions defense.

After a win over a non-Division I team, the Lions then lost a heart-breaker to Bradley on the road, a game that was tied up at the half. With six minutes to go in the game, and the score tied at 35 (yes, scored tied at 35 in the SECOND half) the Lions failed to make any improvements, while Bradley was able to establish a lead of nine in just six minutes of play. At the final buzzer LMU fell 45-38. After playing them even for a half, you have to wonder how Bradley all of a sudden became seven-points-better in half number two. The answer seems to be that they made defensive adjustments; after having allowed the Lions to shoot 45 percent in the first half they held LMU to just 32 percent from the field in the second half.

After yet another win over another non-Division I team, the Lions dropped a road game to Rider University by ten points. Most frustrating part? LMU held a one-point lead at the half and somehow managed to get outscored by 11 in the second period. Just 11 minutes into the second half the Lions found themselves down by as many as 14. It is obvious that Rider made adjustment to its defense at halftime, as the Lions shot 50 percent in the first half and just 25 percent in the second.

The next loss for the Lions came to a poor Cal Poly team, who beat LMU 55-48. The Lions had only 21 points at the half, and found themselves down by six. LMU never led in the second half, and this loss had nothing to do with failing to adjust or improve. This was flat out the Lions worst game of the season. They played with little energy, and didn't look like they cared to win.

Then, the Lions gave all LMU fans some hope, when they went on a 4-1 stretch including an OT win over Long Beach State. The one loss? A hardfought one against UC Santa Barbara in a game in which the Lions were missing four scholarship players, including three starters.

But just as many of us thought things had turned around, with three straight wins and then a tough showing against Florida State, the Lions dropped a road game against South Dakota by 12 points, a game in which the Lions were winning by SEVEN at the half. Instead of looking to increase that lead to double-digits, LMU instead let the home team go on a 7-0 run to open the half. The result was a tie game just 2.5 minutes after the half. The Lions were outscored by 19 in the second half, and this time it was the result of  either offensive adjustments by South Dakota or a defensive letdown by the Lions, as South Dakota shot 33 percent in the opening period and 55 percent in the closing one.

Some may think it is counter-productive to dwell on these losses, but it's not. If the Lions can't go into the locker room at halftime and figure out a way to attack a team better then they aren't going to win many conference games. Opposing teams are clearly studying the Lions weaknesses at the half, and then making adjustments to exploit them, and LMU needs to do the same.

The blame here can be pointed at Head Coach Max Good and his coaching staff, or even at the players, but placing blame isn't going solve anything. Instead, either Good and his staff, or the players themselves, need to take it upon themselves to make these mid-game adjustments. A seven point halftime lead should never disappear in two minutes, no matter what team you face and especially against a sub par team like South Dakota.

There is one more non-conference game yet and honestly, it doesn't mean much of anything to the Lions. Having already blown their chance at any sort of at-large bid, the Lions last hope for some postseason action depends solely on how they do in conference play and at the WCC Tournament in March. However, I hope LMU takes this next game against Irvine as an opportunity to try and make positive halftime adjustments. If the Lions hold a halftime lead of five, they shouldn't be happy unless they win the game by ten, as that would still show that the opponent made more of a halftime adjustment, but one that the Lions were able to fight off.

I'm a sports optimist, as I wrote here almost one year ago, and I haven't given up on this team yet. I believe if the Lions can win a half, they can win the game, and I hope to see that more times than not when conference play begins Jan. 6.

More disappointment as non-conference season winds down

Anthony Ireland had 10 points, all in the first half, for LMU on Wednesday | Julia Pine

LMU dropped its contest to South Dakota last night by a final score of 82-70; a very disappointing game for the Lions who were coming off of a 3-1 stretch in which the team's only loss came to a very strong Florida State team. The Lions lost to a South Dakota team they beat less than ten days ago, despite receiving a poor game form leading scorer Drew Viney.

Tonight's game started off much like the last one against the Coyotes did, with Viney struggling to find his shot and the Lions offense coming almost entirely from guards Vernon Teel and Anthony Ireland, both of whom finished the first half with ten points each. Unfortunately, neither could find the basket much at all in the second half, as Ireland failed to score a point and Teel contributed only four. Teel did finish the game with another double-double, putting in 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lions offense in the second half came almost exclusively from Viney, who finally found his shot after a couple of off games. Viney finished the night 7-16 from the floor with 16 points and seven rebounds. Fifteen of Viney's 16 points were scored in the second half.

Larry Davis rounded out the Lions' in double figures with 12 points of his own.

The problem for LMU, once again, was their defensive intensity in the second half. After holding the Coyotes to just 33 percent shooting in the first half of play the Lions then got lit up in the second half, letting South Dakota shoot 53 percent from the field and 50 percent from three point range.

The Lions, who led by as many as eight points late in the first half, again watched a lead disappear into a loss.

At this point, LMU's ability to adjust during a game needs to be examined. There have been too many games lost that were seemingly winnable at halftime, and it just seems like the other teams are making better adjustments. Whether this is something that should be looked at by the coaching staff, players, or in my opinion both, doesn't really matter, the thing is it needs to addressed quickly.

LMU is now 6-7 on the season, and will have one final chance to enter conference play with a .500 record when they travel to take on UC Irvine on Dec. 30.

Lions hope to sweep season series against South Dakota

Vernon Teel plays tight defense Saturday night against Florida State | Julia Pine

The Lions head out on the road tomorrow to take on a South Dakota team they beat 72-67 in Gersten Pavilion just two weeks ago. LMU is coming off of a double-digit loss to Florida State, but I expect them to be able to handle the Coyotes again.

In the last matchup between the two teams, the Lions received massive games from guards Anthony Ireland and Vernon Teel, while surviving off nights from both Drew Viney and Larry Davis. I wouldn't expect those two to be held down again, so if Ireland and Teel can contribute even half the points they did last time the Lions should be able to pull out the win.

Since playing the Lions, South Dakota have however gone 2-0, beating Tabor College and Eastern Washington.

LMU played well also though in its lone game since facing the Coyotes, hanging tight with a tough Florida State team into the final minutes of the game. Saturday night also saw the return of Edgar Garibay, who despite playing limited minutes looked pretty good on the court and showed off his long range on a sweet 18-foot jumper. Garibay is going to be an important piece of the puzzle for the Lions, especially while Ashley Hamilton is out. The Seminoles beat up LMU's interior defense pretty bad Saturday night, so look for that to be something the team works on before conference play begins.

Tomorrow's game begins at 5 p.m.

Lions to face Florida State Seminoles in Gersten Pavilion showdown

The LMU men's basketball team will face its biggest test of the non-conference schedule tomorrow when they host Florida State at 8 p.m. The Lions (6-5) and Seminoes (8-2) both enter the game riding three-game winning streaks.

The Seminoles only two losses come from the hands of reputable opponents Ohio State and Florida. They are led by junior forward Chris Singleton, who is leading the team with 14.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Junior guard Deividas Dulkys is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.8 per game while shooting an impressive 45.8 percent from beyond the arc.

In injury news, redshirt freshman center Edgar Garibay is questionable for tomorrow's game, while Ashley Hamilton recently had surgery on his broken hand and is expected to be out another 4-6 weeks.


The game, which can be seen live on ESPNU, wraps up a four-game home stand for the Lions, in which they have so far gone 3-0.

Streaking Lions set to face biggest test

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to post after Saturday night's 72-67 win over South Dakota, but there were a few key things I still want to touch on. The win brought the Lions to 6-5 on the season, as they are now set to face Florida State on Saturday to wrap up this homestand. Florida State is easily the toughest competition on the Lions non-conference schedule this season.

Saturday night against South Dakota the Lions received excellent guard play from senior Vernon Teel and freshman Anthony Ireland. Ireland had a career-high 21 points to lead the Lions in scoring with Teel following closely behind with 20, accounting for more than 50 percent of LMU's offense. In addition, Ireland had seven rebounds and eight assists while Teel just narrowly missed recording LMU's first ever triple-double, finishing the game with the 20 points, along with 13 rebounds and eight assists.

The Lions had 22 assists in the game, and 29 buckets. The last three games LMU has been sharing the ball really well, something that is going to be vital if they want to continue this run.

Not only is it great to see the two starting guards play so well, but it also came on a night when leading scorer Drew Viney shot only 5-15 from the field with ten points. For the second time this season (the first being the OT win at Long Beach State) the Lions were able to overcome a rough shooting night from Viney and still secure the victory. It was also nice to see Viney come through with two big buckets down the stretch, even though he was having a tough game on the offensive end.

One thing though, that is still plaguing the Lions, is poor free throw shooting. In Saturday's game LMU shot only 52.4 percent from the free throw line, and while that might not hurt so much against South Dakota, it would definitely limit the Lions' chances against a tough Florida State team.

The Lions were without Ashley Hamilton (broken hand) for the first time since his injury, and his absence was definitely felt. Center Godwin Okonji had a nice game, but fouled out with about three minutes to go in the second half. It would have been nice to have Hamilton around, but he will be out at least another four weeks.

One thing that should ease the pain a little is the expected return of Edgar Garibay on Saturday night. His size should definitely be an added bonus for LMU against FSU.

Lions look to push streak to three

Vernon Teel | Courtesy of Facebook

The Lions, who are 3-1 at home this season, will continue their home stand tomorrow with a 7 p.m. game against South Dakota (3-6). LMU is coming off of two straight wins, and have held opponents to under 50 points per game during that period.

South Dakota comes into Gersten Pavilion coming off of a 73-69 loss to Canisius on Tuesday. The Coyotes are averaging just under 70 points per game, and have been out-rebounded and out-shot on the season. They are led by starter Charlie Westbrook, who is averaging a team high 15.3 points per game. Westbrook is shooting over 42 percent from three-point range on the season, something the Lions will have to try and keep in check.

The Lions will look to continue to build their momentum before facing their toughest competition of the non-conference schedule next Saturday, as the team faces Florida State.

X-Rays not good for Hamilton

Ashley Hamilton | Courtesy of Facebook

It seems like the bad injury news keep coming for the Lions, as center Ashley Hamilton's right hand is broken. The injury occured in the first minute of the second half of last night's win over Sacramento State. Hamilton is expected to be out 4-6 weeks.

If I were Max Good, I would stick with the hot players this Saturday against South Dakota, and continue to start three guards (Anthony Ireland, Vernon Teel and Larry Davis), therefore moving Drew Viney over to the power forward position to replace the injured Hamilton. Viney has been playing the small forward spot for the most part this season, but has plenty of minuted logged in the four spot as a Lion.

Saturday's game is at Gersten Pavilion, and tips off at 7:30 p.m.

Lions earn back-to-back victories for first time this year

Larry Davis made his third straight start for LMU | Courtesy of Facebook

The LMU men's basketball team is enjoying being home, as a 69-49 victory over Sacramento State gives the Lions a 2-0 start to this four-game home stand. The Lions welcomed back Drew Viney, who had missed two games due to a calf injury, and despite coming off the bench played 30 minutes and led the game with 15 points.

LMU has been working hard at practice on defense this week, according to Head Coach Max Good's most recent quote in the team's press release, and it showed, as the Lions held the Hornets to just 49 points and 29 percent shooting. LMU also had an astonishing 11 blocks in the game, including six from freshman Godwin Okonji who also contributed a career-high 11 points and five rebounds.

Senior guard Larry Davis, who has found his game since being inserted into the starting lineup three games ago, continued his hot shooting and scored 13 points. Vernon Teel also had 13 points.

Offensively, the Lions seemed to have found some sort of rhythm, as the team had 21 assists on 23 field goals tonight. Teel and freshman Anthony Ireland led the way with six dimes each.

The Hornets led by three points two minutes into the game, and the Lions dominated the rest of the way to bring their record to an even 5-5 on the season.

The only bad news for the Lions seems to have come in another injury, although it is unsure yet how serious it may be. Center Ashley Hamilton hurt his wrist in the first minute of the second half and didn't return. He left the court at the conclusion of the game with his wrist wrapped, and will receive an MRI tomorrow.

Up next, the Lions will take on South Dakota on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Home stand continues tomorrow against Sac State

Larry Davis has started two straight games for the Lions | Courtesy of Facebook

The Lions (4-5) will look to build upon their win over Cal Poly tomorrow when they host Sacramento State (2-5) at 7:30 p.m. The Hornets are coming off of back-to-back losses to Washington State and Utah Valley.

The Hornets have been led by Sultan Toles-Bey, who is leading the team by averaging 12.7 points per game. No one on the Hornets roster is averaging more than 5.7 rebounds per game, while three different Lions are averaging more than six.

The Lions have been paced by forward Drew Viney, who is scoring 16.1 points a game, but has missed the last two contests due to a deep bone bruise in his calf. It is unclear whether or not he will play tomorrow. 

The Lions will also be without center Edgar Garibay and guard Jarred DuBois.

The game is the second of a doubleheader, the first being the women's match-up against Cal State Fullerton. The men will then play again on Saturday as they host South Dakota.

LMU handles Cal Poly in second match-up of season

Anthony Ireland had 14 points in the win | Courtesy of Facebook

After a disappointing loss to Cal Poly (3-4) two weeks ago, the Lions responded tonight with a 67-48 win Saturday night in Gersten. The game was the start of a four-game homestand for LMU, which continues Tuesday night when the Lions (4-5) take on Sacramento State.

Playing without four scholarship players (and three starters), LMU received a very balanced scoring effort, as four Lions reached double figures in points. Guards Vernon Teel and Anthony Ireland led the way, each contributing 14 points. Center Ashley Hamilton put in 12 points while LaRon Armstead came off the bench to contribute a season-high 11.

The most impressive stat of the night for the Lions, who never trailed in the game, was a season-low six turnovers.

The Lions were without leading scorer and rebounder Drew Viney, who is recovering from a calf injury. In Viney's absence three Lions (Hamilton, Teel and freshman Godwin Okonji) pulled in eight rebounds. Okonji also added eight points, while Teel dished out a game-high five assists.

Keys to today's game

Ashley Hamilton is a key to tonight's game | Courtesy of Facebook

I was going to start this post by writing, "Tonight's game is really important for the Lions," but let's be honest, because of the hole they've dug themselves into early this season all of their games right now are important.

The Lions have lost a chance at an at-large bid, so conference play is going to be of the utmost importance to LMU. However, if the Lions want to make a solid push for the WCC crown, then they have to start playing like a team who can challenge Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, or even Portland.

Beating up on opponents like tonight's Cal Poly is part of that. Two weeks ago at Cal Poly, the Lions offense was non-existent. That can't happen tonight, and with the team playing back at Gersten with chip on their shoulder after losing to this sub-par team already this season, I don't expect it to.

However, it seems unlikely that Drew Viney will play tonight (and likely that he will play Tuesday, which is good news for LMU), and therefore the offense needs to come from somewhere else.

Vernon Teel is a lock for about 15 points, but without Viney in the lineup other people have to step up, much like Larry Davis did in the team's loss to Santa Barbara on Wednesday. I'm hoping that game was a turning point for Davis, and that he can now be a reliable scorer who plays valuable minutes for LMU. But the other person who's really going to need to step up tonight is Ashley Hamilton. With Viney out, Hamilton needs to take it upon himself to be the Lions inside presence on the offensive end of the court, and to do that, he needs to make sure to stay out of foul trouble. He's capable of scoring 20+ points against a Cal Poly team which doesn't start anyone over 6'8", and I want to see it happen.

With home games tonight, and then again just three days later, let's hope the Lions can start building some momentum before beginning conference play in just one month.

Go Lions.

Lions finally return home, get rematch against Cal Poly

The Lions wrapped up a six-game road trip Wednesday and will now return home for a four-game home stand that begins tomorrow against Cal Poly. LMU went 2-4 on its road trip, including a disappointing 55-48 loss to Cal Poly on Nov 24.

Since playing the Lions, the Mustangs have gone 1-1, with a four-point loss to Sacramento State and a buzzer-beating victory over Hawaii. Cal Poly is now 3-3 on the season.

The Lions, who were missing four scholarship players in their last game, will be without Jarred Dubois, who is out for the season. Edgar Garibay, who is recovering from last season's surgery, has been bothered by a sore knee and will likely miss the next three games. Lions' leading scorer Drew Viney has been dealing with a deep bone bruise in his calf, and is questionable for tomorrow's contest.

The game tips off at 7 p.m.

Jarred DuBois out for year with ankle injury

As hinted upon yesterday, junior guard Jarred DuBois is going to miss the remainder of this season due to an ankle injury he has battled for quite some time. DuBois, despite struggling from the field, was averaging 10.2 points per game this season. He had missed the Lions last two games.

DuBois is expected to be granted a medical redshirt, meaning he will have two years of eligibility left after this season. With both Vernon Teel and Larry Davis leaving after this year, this injury to DuBois may actually help the program in the long run, as the Lions can have the talented duo of Anthony Ireland and Jarred DuBois make up the team's back-court for the next two seasons.

Fans short leash on Vernon seems uncalled for

Vernon Teel | Courtesy of Facebook

I feel compelled to address something I keep reading on the message boards, and that is the fans cries for Vernon Teel to be benched.

I don't know why it is, but I think Lions fan have too short a leash for Vernon. I've watched almost every game the last three years, and I wonder if these fans and I are seeing the same thing.

Yes, this year we have not seen the Vernon we did last year. His shooting percentage has dropped by 10 percent, his assists per game are way down, and so are his points per game. But, who on the Lions team has seen their stats go up or even stay the same this season? The answer is no one, and that is why the team is 1-5 against Division-I opponents.

It's frustrating, but Vernon is definitely having turnover problems this season, something we also saw two years ago. But, if the team is playing well as a whole, then these turnovers don't happen to the extent they are now. The Lions offense is out of sync, and therefore, the turnovers for the point guard start to pile up, as they don't have anywhere to go with the ball or feel more compelled to make something happen. Anthony Ireland has taken over the role of point guard for the most part, and his turnovers are starting to pile up as well.

There is no doubt in my mind that Drew Viney is the most talented player on the Lions, and many other fans feel that way. But because of that, I think the Vernon-bashing comes through even louder. Drew had an awful game against Long Beach State, and there was barely a peep about it on the message boards afterward. I was there, and hands down we would not have won the game without Vernon, and especially without his clutch free-throw shooting (who would have every thought we'd say that).

On the flip side, after Vernon's awful Morgan State game, and after nine turnovers last night, the message boards are calling for him to be benched, some even saying the walk-ons should play before him. It seems absurd. I'm in no way implying that there should have been any negative talk about Drew after Long Beach State, I'm just pointing out what looks to me like an unfair difference.

These season has in no way gone as planned, but beginning to point fingers doesn't help. Vernon and Head Coach Max Good have gotten the majority of the blame on the internet, but the truth is no one on the team is doing their job as well as they did last year. All we can do is hope they can turn it around.

Injury Updates: JD potentially out for year, MRI for Viney

The Lions were without four scholarship players in tonight's game: Drew Viney, Jarred DuBois, Edgar Garibay, and Ayodeji Egbeyemi.

Viney, who injured his calf in the Lions game against Rider over a week ago, will receive an MRI tomorrow.

DuBois, who has now missed two-straight games, will likely be out for the season. I'm hearing his ankle needs surgery. This may, however, not be awful news for the program as a whole, as DuBois would then receive a medical redshirt and get to have an extra year of eligibility after Vernon Teel and Larry Davis leave the program. In my opinion, the Lions should be fine in the guard position this year with Teel, Davis, and Anthony Ireland.

Garibay should return to the court on Dec. 18, when the Lions face Florida State.

And lastly, Deji should come back from his injury within two weeks.

Short-handed Lions can't steal victory in Santa Barbara

Well, I just got back from Santa Barbara, where I watched a short-handed Lions team lose to the Gauchos 77-67. LMU was without leading scorer Drew Viney, Jarred DuBois, Edgar Garibay and Ayodeji Egbeyemi.

If someone had told me before the game that the Lions, without three starters including Drew, would stay within ten points of the Gauchos I probably would have taken it. However, having seen the game, I am again disappointed.

With 9:56 left to play in the game, the Lions found themselves down 53-52. Just four and a half minutes later, LMU was down by 17, after playing an atrocious stretch of basketball. And a bad stretch like that is, unfortunately, something Lions' fans have now seen in most of the team's games this season.

With Drew and JD both out, the Lions needed someone to step up big offensively if they were going to have a chance to win. Well, Larry Davis did that, giving the Lions a career-high 27 points while knocking down 6-7 from three-point range. Considering the Lions got that kind of explosive offensive from a substitute starter and were still unable to pull out the victory against a so-so team is not promising.

The 3-5 Lions will now return home Saturday, will they will get a much-needed rematch against Cal Poly at 7:00pm.