Lions look to snap Malibu drought

Ashley Hamilton returned from injury Saturday to score 16 points for the Lions

To say Firestone Fieldhouse, home of the Pepperdine Waves, has been unfriendly to the Lions in past years would be an understatement. When LMU enters Malibu tomorrow to face Pepperdine, the Lions will be attempting to win a game in Firestone for the first time since the 1997-98 season. The Waves have also bested the Lions in 24 of the two team's last 29 meetings.

LMU, which is now 2-1 in conference play after a nice win over San Diego on Saturday, is now finally healthy, and is expected to bring a full roster to Malibu. I would expect Ashley Hamilton to return to the starting lineup, giving LMU a nice inside scoring presence to go along with the in-and-out abilities of Drew Viney and Anthony Ireland.

The Waves are 1-3 in conference play, beating San Francisco on opening night before losing three straight to Saint Mary's, Gonzaga and Portland. Pepperdine is led by Taylor Darby (11.7 ppg) and Corbin Moore (10.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg). Last year, LMU and Pepperdine split their two contests, with each team winning on its home court.

The game will be an important one for the Lions, who will be looking to keep their conference record above .500 before hosting Gonzaga on Saturday.