LMU to host WCC's best to open conference play

Guards like Larry Davis are going to have tough defensive tasks tomorrow against the Gaels | Courtesy of Facebook

The Lions (7-7) welcome the Saint Mary's Gaels to Gersten Pavilion tomorrow to open WCC play at 6 p.m. The Gaels come in with the WCC's best record at an impressive 12-2, having won six straight decisions. The Lions, on the other hand, had the conference's fifth best record in non-WCC play, and are coming off of a road victory over UC Irvine.

LMU went 0-2 against Saint Mary's last season, when the Gaels went on to win the WCC Tournament in Las Vegas before eventually making it to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. Overall the Lions have lost eight straight games to the Gaels.

The Gaels, having lost big man Omar Samhan to graduation after last season, have not lost a step in his absence. Saint Mary's has been led by spectacular guard play coming from Mickey McConnell and Matthew Dellavedova, who are averaging a combined 27.2 points per game and are first and second in the league in free throw percentage, respectively. Dellavedova is also first in the conference in assists per game with six, while McConnell is not far behind in second with 5.4.

Rob Jones has also become a surprising star for the Gaels, after transferring from fellow WCC school USD in 2009. Jones is averaging 13.7 points per game (good enough for second on the team) and a team-leading 5.5 rebounds per contest.

LMU has had a full week off to prepare for Saint Mary's.

The Gaels have played only two road games thus far this season, and have a 1-1 record to show for them. With school still not back in session for LMU, a large crowd is probably not expected in Gersten tomorrow, but could be important for a Lions team looking for a major upset. A win tomorrow for LMU would definitely start its conference season off in the right direction, and could really determine where this team goes in WCC play.