Lions hope to turn tides against Waves

Senior Vernon Teel will look to turnaround a rough road trip | Julia Pine

LMU will hit the road tomorrow night for their rivalry game against the Pepperdine Waves in what many feel is a must-win game for the Lions. Winning in Malibu has been a challenge for the Lions, as they have not been able to beat Pepperdine on the road in over ten years. Both teams enter Saturday's game with a 1-3 conference record.

For LMU, tomorrow's game is the last of a three-game road trip in which the Lions are currently 0-2 after losing a double OT heart-breaker in Portland and getting beat badly in the second half by Gonzaga.

The Lions offensive leader on the road trip has been Drew Viney, who in the two games scored a combined 42 points. Guard Vernon Teel, on the other hand, has hit a cold patch shooting wise, going just 2-16 from the floor up north.

For Pepperdine, they have been led all season by Keion Bell, who despite missing five games is leading the team with 19.3 points per game. The Waves have struggled so far this year, posting just a 7-14 overall record. Pepperdine is coming off of three straight losses, coming at the hands of Gonzaga, St. Mary's and Portland, the three same teams that have topped LMU this conference season.

With yesterday's upsets of both Gonzaga and Portland, six of the eight teams in the WCC are separated by two games or less, making tomorrow's match-up even more crucial for the Lions. The game tips off at 7 p.m.