Egbeyemi likely out for CIT

Some were wondering why sophomore Ayodeji Egbeyemi was not in uniform for yesterday's CIT win over Cal State Fullerton, but the guard revealed today via his Twitter account that he underwent surgery this morning. I have heard it was on his wrist, and it seems clear he will be out the remainder of the season. Hopefully there are no lingering affects, and Deji will be back and ready to go for the start of next season.

Lions must gain momentum from big win

The Lions played a great game against BYU last night. Other than the victory over ranked Saint Louis in non-conference play, that was the most complete 40 minutes of basketball I've seen LMU play this season. Once again, Anthony Ireland led the way, but both Drew Viney and LaRon Armstead both contributed big minutes on both the offensive and defensive (props to both of them for stepping up their defense) ends of the court while the rest of the players played the roles they needed to.

Since WCC play began, I've been extremely impressed with the Lions ability to improve their offense since non-conference play, when the offense at time looked repetitive and stagnant. LMU is currently doing a great job of making an effort to work the ball inside (somewhat thanks to the return of Ashley Hamilton) and keeping their opponents defense on its heels.

The Lions, however, have a potentially tough game in store for them on Monday at Santa Clara. Sandwiched between a huge win over BYU and an impending home game against 7-0 Saint Mary's, LMU will take a quick trip up North to take on the Broncos. This game has the recipe to be a trap game for the Lions, who will need to make sure they don't overlook the 0-4 Broncos. Santa Clara is better than their 0-4 WCC record shows, with two talented guards in Kevin Foster and Evan Roquemore, and now that LMU has proven it belongs as one of the top-four teams in the conference it needs to prove it can stay that way with a win over a bottom-tier team.

While it is still early (LMU has played only six of its 16 conference games), here are where the WCC standings sit right now.

While we'll wait until later in the season to truly start discussing WCC Tournament matchups, it is not too early to state the the Lions need to aim for a top-four conference finish, which would bypass them into the quarterfinals of the WCC Tournament in Las Vegas. 

The great news for LMU? This team could very easily be 6-0 in conference right now, with its two losses both coming in close games (loss to BYU, loss to Gonzaga). There is no need to start a "what if" game about those two contests; it's truly a great thing that the Lions have not looked outmatched against any team thus far in conference play. 

Let's hope LMU can keep up the great play and handle Santa Clara as they should Monday night.

Regular season play concludes tonight

Coming off of its second double-OT loss of the season, LMU will face a strong University of San Francisco team tonight to wrap up the regular season. The Lions are a disappointing 2-11 in conference play while the Dons, who were picked to finish in the bottom half of the league, are a surprising 9-4, just one game behind first-place teams Gonzaga and Saint Mary's.

The Lions and Dons met earlier this season in a game a Gersten Pavilion in which San Francisco won 61-60. Leading scorer Drew Viney sat out the majority of the second half of that game with migraines, after getting off to a hot start and scoring 11 first-half points on 4-7 from the field. The Lions played impressive defense in the game, holding San Francisco shooters to just 37 percent from the floor and 18 percent from long distance. LMU had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but failed to do so. Freshman Ayodeji Egbeyemi led all Lions with 15 points.

LMU is coming off of another heartbreaking loss. The Lions, who eventually lost to Santa Clara by six points Thursday in double OT, struggled mightly from the free throw line, shooting just 64 percent as opposed to the Broncos 88 percent. Viney had his biggest offensive game of the season, pouring in 30 points in the loss.

The Lions are currently tied with the University of San Diego for the worst record in the WCC. The WCC Tournament begins in Las Vegas on Friday night, and all seeding for the tournament will be determined tonight at the conclusion of the four conference game's on the schedule for this evening. It is a foregone conclusion that LMU will be seeded either seventh or eighth, meaning that they will need to win four games in four days to win the tournament.

If LMU is able to earn the seventh seed, they will face rival Pepperdine for the third time this season in Las Vegas on Friday. The Lions beat Pepperdine at the WCC Tournament one year ago.

If LMU is seeded eighth for the tournament, it is still unclear who they would play. Both Santa Clara and Portland would be the option.

Tonight's game at San Francisco tips off at 7 p.m. I am in San Francisco and will be tweeting live from War Memorial Gymnasium. Check out live updates, beginning at 7 p.m., here.

LMU holds on for narrow victory over Pepperdine

Drew Viney led the Lions with 21 points | Julia Pine

It wasn't pretty, and yet again the Lions blew a 14-point lead, but this time the outcome was different, as LMU held on for a three-point 82-79 victory over Pepperdine in the final home game of the season. Drew Viney returned after missing three games and made an immediate impact for the Lions, leading the team in points and rebounds with 21 and seven, respectively.

Vernon Teel honored before the game

LMU jumped out to a 14-point lead midway through the second half before letting Pepperdine's Mychel Thompson and Lorne Jackson go on an offensive explosion. Thompson ended the game with 29 points, but his last second three at the buzzer bounced off the rim, securing the victory for the Lions.

LMU is now 2-10 in WCC play. Down South, San Diego pulled off a shocking upset over WCC-leading Saint Mary's to also improve to 2-10.

Griffin Reilly honored before the game

Tonight's game was Senior Night at LMU, as Vernon Teel, Larry Davis, and walk-on Griffin Reilly were honored before the game. Davis sat out the entire game due to illness, but both Teel and Reilly got the start. Teel finished the game, his last in Gersten Pavilion, with 11 points and four assists. He also knocked down two crucial free throws in the final minute of play to help LMU secure the victory.

Anthony Ireland, Ayodeji Egbeyemi, and LaRon Armstead joined Teel and Viney in double-figure scoring.

Larry Davis, with his mother,
being honored before the game

Ashley Hamilton, who had 19 points in the Lions loss to Pepperdine earlier this season, sat out the game due to illness. The L.A.-rivals split their series for the second time in two years, with the home team winning four of the last four contests.

The Lions will now take a break from WCC play to participate in ESPN's BracketBuster event. LMU will travel to Portland State on Saturday. The game starts at 4 p.m. and Lions fans can listen live on LMULions.com.

High school center sets visit to LMU

Despite behind amidst a disappointing season, LMU coaches are still working hard to set a bright future in place for the Lions. High school senior Lekan Ajayi, a 6'11" center from North Carolina, has scheduled visits to LMU and Florida, and also plans to visit Seton Hall, Tennessee, and either Arizona or Miami. According to college basketball blogger Adam Zagoria, Ajayi will visit LMU Feb. 14-16, where he will most likely have the opportunity to watch the Lions take on Pepperdine on the night of the 16th.


Ajayi, who is originally from Lagos, Nigeria, will take his mother along with him on his visit to LMU. The Lions currently have two other roster players from Lagos (Ayodeji Egbeyemi and Godwin Okonji).


Ajayi is averaging 9.5 points, 15.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks this season.