Lions bash Billikens for second win over ranked opponent

Senior LaRon Armstead had a career-high 22 points

For the second time this season the Lions defeated a nationally ranked opponent, taking down the previously undefeated No. 23 Saint Louis at Gersten Pavilion 75-68. Senior LaRon Armstead came up huge for the Lions, pouring in a game-high, and career-high, 22 points and shooting an impressive 10-10 from the free throw line.

Saint Louis led by as many as 12 points in the first period, but a late half surge by the Lions cut the Billikens lead to four at the break. The second half was all LMU, as the team shot 62 percent from the field and 80 percent from long-range.

Ayodegi Egbeyemi and Bruce English react to the win

Sophomore point guard Anthony Ireland once again steadied the ship for LMU, scoring important buckets down the stretch.  He finished with 17 points, four rebounds and two assists.

For the second straight game the Lions received extremely balanced scoring. When Ireland was forced to the bench with foul trouble with 12 minutes to play in the game, junior guard Jarred DuBois picked up right where his teammate had left off. DuBois finished the game with 16 points and played a game-high 36 minutes. He at one point in the second half scored seven straight points, and turned a one-point deficit into a six-point lead.

Prior to this contest, the 6-0 Saint Louis hadn't trailed in the second half of a game all season.

The Lions (4-2) will host a tournament this weekend, set to take the court Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. First, they will host Columbia at 7 p.m. Friday night. Drew Viney is expected to be back in the lineup for the first time this season.

Balanced scoring leads to first home win

The Lions picked up their first home victory of the season last night, defeated the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 81-61. Six different Lions scored in double-figures, with Jarred DuBois leading the way with 17 points on 6-11 from the field. He also added a team-high six rebounds and six assists. The Lions led for the entire second half.

"This was a complete team effort," said Head Coach Max Good. "We stressed the last couple days the need to move the ball in our offense. We are a much better team when we move the ball. We did a very good job of getting the right player the open shot."

WCC-leading scorer Anthony Ireland, who was averaging more than 19 points per game, had an off night from the field, contributing just two points on 1-7 shooting. He did still play a team-high 32 minutes. The Lions were without center Edgar Garibay, who suffered a concussion earlier in the week.

Senior LaRon Armstead contributed 11 points in just 16 minutes of play, while Godwin Okonji, Ayodeji Egbeyemi, C.J. Blackwell and Quincy Lawson each contributed 10. The Lion's also received a surprising seven points from freshman guard Bruce English, who was making just the second appearance of his collegiate career.

The Lions return back to Gersten Tuesday, when they take on a very tough Saint Louis team. The Billikens are 5-0 on the season, with an impressive win over Villanova on Friday. They take on Oklahoma later today in the 76 Classic championship game in Anaheim. Tuesday's game tips off at 7 p.m.

Lions return home to take on Northern Arizona

After a grind-it-out overtime victory over Idaho State Wednesday evening, the Lions return home tomorrow night to take on Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks are 2-3 on the early season, but are looking to extend their winning streak to three in Saturday's showdown.

Northern Arizona's two victories were against Arizona Christian and Northern New Mexico, while having lost to La-Lafaeytte, North Dakota State, and the WCC's own San Francisco.

LMU enters the game with a 2-2 record, and will be kicking off a six-game homestand. The Lions will likely be without forward Ashley Hamilton for the second-straight game. Hamilton is averaging 19 ppg. They will also be without Drew Viney, who will likely make his season debut Dec. 2. He has, however, been cleared to begin practicing.

Saturday's game tips off in Gersten Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. It's important for the Lions to pick up the win before hosting a very tough St. Louis team Tuesday.

Lions escape Idaho State with 79-76 victory

It wasn't pretty, but LMU defeated Idaho State 79-76 Wednesday night in overtime. Anthony Ireland carried the bulk of the weight offensively, scoring 25 points and clinching the win with clutch free throws and a steal down the stretch.

The Lions were playing without Drew Viney, who has yet to suit up this season due to off-season foot surgery, and Ashley Hamilton, who injured his own foot in Saturday's game against Harvard. He is likely out three weeks.

The Lions found themselves down by as many as four points in the overtime period before Ireland absolutely took over the game. Ireland scored the Lion's final six points to ice the victory, including forcing an Idaho State turnover with 30 seconds to play and LMU up by one.

Idaho State's lights-out shooting from long range forced the game into overtime, as the Bengals hit 12 threes in the contest, six of which came from Melvin Morgan who finished with 24 points. The Lions, on the other hand, were just 5-18 from long distance.

Joining Ireland in double-figure scoring were Jarred DuBois and Godwin Okonji, who each contributed 12. Okonji also had a team-high seven rebounds.

The win brings LMU's season record to 2-2. The Lions will next take the court Saturday night, when they host Northern Arizona at 7:30 p.m. LMU will face Idaho State one more time when the Bengals visit Gersten Pavilion on Dec. 10.

Hamilton likely out a couple weeks

It looks like the injury to Ashley Hamilton's foot is a little more serious than LMU fans had hoped. According to tonight's pregame radio show, Hamilton will likely be out a couple of weeks. Hamilton has been LMU's most consistent scorer thus far this season.

The Lions, however, do expect Drew Viney back at the start of December.

Lions hit road hoping to turn tide

After an exciting win at UCLA to start the season, the Lions have now lost to straight home games to Middle Tennessee State and Harvard. While neither are awful loses (both teams currently find themselves among the top-25 mid-major programs), it is important for the Lions to get back in the win column. The team left earlier this morning on a flight for Idaho, as it will take on Idaho State tomorrow at 6:05 PT.

It looks like Ashley Hamilton, who injured his foot in Saturday's game against Harvard, will sit out tomorrow's contest. This is a huge blow to the already-struggling Lions offense, who has yet to find a consistent groove this season. Hamilton was by far the Lions MVP through the 2+ games he played in, and the only player that seemed to have the ability to consistently score. Without him and Drew Viney on the court, it puts even more pressure on Anthony Ireland and Jarred DuBois to contribute the bulk of the scoring, both from inside and out.

One bright spot from Saturday's loss was the appearance of Alex Osborne, who was forced to sit out the first two games of the season due to NCAA regulations. In his 13 minutes of play, Osborne went 3-3 from the field, ending the game with six points, one rebound and one block. Hopefully Osborne can continue to show that sort of offensive production tomorrow, when the Lions will really need it.

While tomorrow's game should be an easy win for the Lions, it is exactly the sort of game the program has been known to use in the past. I hope the team doesn't take the brief roadtrip lightly, and can return home for Thanksgiving with a .500 record.

The game can be viewed live online here.

Lions to face tough test Saturday

With one win and one loss to start the early season, the Lions would love to pick up a win Saturday to get back over .500. The task will not be easy, however, as LMU will host Harvard, a team many pick to make the NCAA Tournament.

The key for the Lions will be there offense. While LMU has been stellar defensively over the first two games of the year, the offense has been hit and miss, shooting 46 percent against UCLA and then just 35 percent against Middle Tennessee.

The absence of Drew Viney directly relates to the offense's inconsistency, but the Lions have also seen inconsistent efforts from their all-star guards Anthony Ireland and Jarred DuBois. After scoring 21 points against UCLA, Ireland contributed just five against the Blue Raiders on Sunday. I would imagine his season-ending totals will hover around 13ppg, but with Viney out of the lineup the Lions aren't going to win many games with Ireland scoring only five points.

DuBois is a scorer, but the Lions haven't exactly seen that this year. From what I saw in Sunday's loss, DuBois was just getting into some type of scoring mentality and rhythm when he fouled out of the game with three minutes to play. He can be a bit of a streaky shooter from long-range, so let's hope he has his touch come Saturday.

The loss to Middle Tennessee was disappointing, mostly because it was a game within the Lions reach for the majority of the 40 minutes of play, but the season is still young. The Lions are yet to play with their best player in Viney, so I think Lions fans have yet to see this team's potential, even in the win over No. 17 UCLA.

Saturday's game against the Crimson tips off at 6:30 p.m.

Hamilton wins first WCC Player of the Week award

After leading the Lions in scoring in each of their first two games this season, Ashley Hamilton was honored Monday with the year's first West Coast Conference Player of the Year award.

Hamilton averaged 19 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals while hitting 13-for-26 from the field, 10-for-12 from the free throw line and 2-for-3 from long range over the Lions' first two games. Hamilton matched a career-high with 23 points in LMU's first win over UCLA since 1941.

LMU shocks No. 17 UCLA, 69-58

For the first time since 1941 the Lions beat the UCLA Bruins, upsetting the Pac-12 team 69-58 Friday night. Playing without leading scorer Drew Viney, who will likely miss the rest of the month recovering from foot surgery, LMU used offensive outbursts from forward Ashley Hamilton and point guard Anthony Ireland, who had 23 and 21 points, respectively.

The Lions led by one point at the half and used a 12-0 second half run to seal the deal. LMU also received a solid performance from freshman C.J. Blackwell, who knocked down three threes in the game and finished with nine points, four rebounds and two assists.

The Lions will look to keep the momentum rolling as they host Middle Tennessee State on Sunday in Gersten Pavilion at 3 p.m. 

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Update: Reeves Nelson

UCLA junior forward Reeves Nelson is expected to play in the team's season-opener against Loyola Marymount on Friday at the Sports Arena after X-rays on his left ankle were negative.

UCLA's Reeves Nelson to possibly miss LMU game

Courtesy of ESPNLA:

UCLA's Reeves Nelson missed practice Wednesday after hurting his left ankle two days earlier, leaving him in doubt for the 17th-ranked Bruins' season opener Friday [against LMU].

Coach Ben Howland says the nature of Nelson's injury wasn't immediately clear and an X-ray had not yet been read Wednesday. The junior forward left about two-thirds of the way through practice Monday, complaining that his foot was bothering him.

Howland says Nelson didn't sprain his ankle, but he says "it could be serious."

Lions to face tough test in season opener

The wait is over for Lions fans to put last year's disappointing season behind them, as LMU will officially begin their 2011-12 season Friday at the L.A. Sports Arena when it takes on the UCLA Bruins. It definitely won't be an easy opener for the Lions, as UCLA has been selected by many to be one of the top 25 teams in the nation in preseason rankings.

The biggest challenge for LMU is going to be protecting the paint. The Bruins boast a huge lineup, with four roster players checking in at 6'10" or taller. The Lions, on the other hand, will be without one of their best rebounders, with Drew Viney likely sidelined for a couple more weeks. Godwin Okonji, Edgar Garibay, Tim Diederichs and Ashley Hamilton will have to show up big on the boards if the Lions want to have a chance to steal a "W" from their crosstown rivals.

The biggest thing the Lions have going for them, however, is the fact that they have a much more talented backcourt than the Bruins. Jarred DuBois and Anthony Ireland need to take over this game, and even out the fact that the Lions may get pounded inside by the Bruins big men's depth. To make matters easier for DuBois, Ireland and even freshman Bruce English is the fact that UCLA's Jerime Anderson is suspended for the game, meaning the Bruins will have even less manpower to try and stop the Lions speedy back court.

This past weekend, LMU scrimmaged a tough UNLV team (losing by single-digits), which I think was probably great preparation for Friday's game. Either way, it should be a good one. Game tips off Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Offense shines in exhibition victory

The men's basketball team took the court tonight for their lone exhibition game, beating University of La Verne 94-49 in Gersten Pavilion.

Exploding offensively was guard Jarred DuBois, who missed all but six games for the Lions last year due to injury. DuBois scored 19 points in 19 minutes, going 7-11 from the field. Also adding a large portion of the offense was power forward Ashley Hamilton, who contributed 17 points in 21 minutes and was a force under the basket on the offensive end, a welcoming site for Lions fans who have seen an inconsistent Hamilton over the past few seasons.

The Lions seemed to gel as a team well, with much better communication and especially passing than last season. LMU had 17 assists to La Verne's seven.

Freshman C.J. Blackwell also played productive minutes, scoring 11 points and pulling down six rebounds. It looks like he will be an immediate contributor to a Lions team which needs to improve on the boards. LMU only out-rebounded the D-II La Verne team by six.

The Lions will next take the court on Friday, Nov. 11 at the L.A. Sports Arena when they face a impressive UCLA team.