Balanced attack leads to 67-57 win over Waves

It wasn't pretty, but LMU pulled out at 67-57 win over Pepperdine tonight to sweep the two-game season series for the first time since 1996. Jarred DuBois and LaRon Armstead led the way with 14 points each and the Lions improved to 7-3 in conference play.

The game was not exactly well-played by the Lions, who found themselves out-rebounded by a struggling Waves team, but a win was must-needed for LMU, who is looking to keep pace with BYU in the conference standings. BYU thumped Gonzaga by ten points tonight to remain tied with LMU in the WCC. A win is now just as important for the Lions Saturday, as they host San Francisco at 7 p.m.

A few things to note, however, from tonight's game:

• Senior LaRon Armstead went 6-6 from the free throw line, and is shooting nearly 90 percent from the charity stripe on the season. That mark is good enough to put him in the top-25 in the nation in that category.
• Drew Viney finished the game with nine points on 4-6 from the field. If the Lions want to win a game in Vegas, Drew's passiveness isn't going to fly. Tonight, he didn't score the final 19:37 of the game, going 0-2 during that period.
• Anthony Ireland was 3-12 from the floor and finished with nine points. His value to the team is undeniable, even when he doesn't shoot well, but it is fascinating how much better he shoots on the road than at home in Gersten.
• Alex Osborne had a nice game, and again was impressive on the defensive end with a game-high four steals. I wonder how long it'll be before he replaces Godwin Okonji in the starting rotation.