LMU wins first of three-game road trip

The Lions improved to 9-3 in conference play tonight with a 76-62 win over Portland. It was the second win over Portland in the past two weeks for LMU, who will now travel to Gonzaga for the second game of a three-game road trip Saturday. Gonzaga will be coming off of a huge win over No. 13 Saint Mary's.

The Lions used quite the team effort to win their season-high fourth-straight game, with five players scoring in double figures. Godwin Okonji had his biggest game of the season, adding 10 points and nine rebounds. Drew Viney contributed 16 points, while Anthony Ireland added 15. Freshman C.J. Blackwell had an impressive 11 points after playing zero first-half minutes. LaRon Armstead also came up big, scoring all 13 of his points after the break.

The win puts the Lions half a game in front of BYU in the conference standings, good enough for sole possession of third place. Tonight's win was also the first for LMU in Portland since 2006.

Lions end homestand with come-from-behind victory

C.J. Blackwell stepped to the free throw line with 1.4 seconds on the clock and the Lions down by two to the Idaho State Bengals tonight. The freshman showed no nerves, knocking down both free throws to send the game into overtime, where LMU eventually won 80-72.

"If you can play defense and rebound, you will give your team a chance every time," said Head Coach Max Good. "Blackwell did that tonight. He showed a lot of poise for a freshman in drilling those free throws."

With 8:55 remaining in the second period the Lions found themselves in their biggest hole of the game, trailing 63-53. But clutch three-point shooting helped bring them back, with Jarred DuBois, Blackwell and Ayodeji Egbeyemi all hitting big second-half threes to close the gap. The overtime period was all Lions.

This was the second overtime game of the season between the Lions and Bengals, with the Lions winning both. Their record is now 6-4 on the season.

Five different Lions scored in double-figured, with DuBois leading the way with 15 on 5-11 shooting. LaRon Armstead had 14, Anthony Ireland and Blackwell had 13, and Quincy Lawson had 11. The Lions had a bountiful 27 three-point attempts in the contest, knocking down nine of them. Blackwell also had a game-high 11 rebounds.

The Lions played without Drew Viney, who has appeared in only two games this season due to injury.

LMU will now head out on a two-game east coast road trip, that begins with Florida State on Sunday. The game can be seen live on ESPNU at noon. Then, the Lions will play at Morgan State on Dec. 21.

Lions to close out tournament against North Texas

C. J. Blackwell had a career-high 21 points Saturday

LMU took care of its business last night against NAIA opponent La Sierra, winning 87-45. Freshman C.J. Blackwell led the way with a career-high 21 points against the non-Division I foe.

Drew Viney, who had made his season-debut Friday night, did not suit up for LMU. He will likely be back on the court tonight, as I would assume the coaching staff didn't want to rush him back into the lineup for back-to-back-to-back games.

Jarred DuBois also missed the action, and was on the sidelines in a boot. According to the Los Angeles Loyolan, it was a precautionary measure.

The Lions will close out their Centeniial Classic Tournament today at 1:30 p.m. against North Texas. The Mean Green lost to a hot Columbia team yesterday. After lighting up the Lions Friday night, Columbia is now shooting a blistering 24-36 from behind the arc in the tournament.

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. 

Thoughts from the Crimson/Navy Scrimmage

• Team camaraderie seems great. Of course, in a high-pressure, competitive setting is when this will be tested, but I was happy with what I saw today.
• Freshman C.J. Blackwell should be a contributor from day one. He has a nice mid-range jump shot, and has an ability to create space for a shot (very Drew Viney-like) that is very impressive for a freshman.
• I can't wait to see Anthony Ireland and Jarred DuBois play together. Jarred is more vocal than I remember him being, and Ireland will enter the season as a starter for the first time, which I think will really help him know his place. He is so quick and his ability to get to the hoop is beyond impressive.
• The big-men struggled a little offensively. Edgar Garibay, Godwin Okonji and Tim Diederichs had some trouble putting the ball in the hoop, a problem they also had last season.
• Ashley Hamilton was pretty MIA offensively, which surprised me. He played some solid defense though, and he had Godwin had a number of big-time blocked shots.
• Nice to see both Tobe Okafor and Nick Stover in attendance.

Up next, the Lions will play their lone exhibition game Tuesday, Nov. 1 against La Verne. Game starts at 7 p.m.

Fans first chance to see 2011-12 squad tomorrow

Freshmen Bruce English (left) and C.J. Blackwell (right)

The Annual Crimson/Navy Scrimmage will take place tomorrow at Gersten Pavilion, with the women's team taking the court at 10 a.m. and the men's squad facing off at 2 p.m. Having been the last two years, I highly encourage anyone with interest in this season to attend.

While watching the Crimson/Navy Scrimmage won't give you insight into how the team will perform this year (you need to see them compete against real competition for that), it is an opportunity to see how the coaching staff and players interact with each other and the first chance to see the freshmen take the court. This year, for the men's team, those freshmen are guard Bruce English and forward C.J. Blackwell.

After last year's scrimmage, I wrote about how impressive Ayodeji Egbeyemi and Anthony Ireland looked. The two both ended up spending valuable time on the court for the Lions, and were in the starting lineup when LMU took the court for its final game of the season at the West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas, NV. Even in the relaxed scrimmage setting, fans were able to see Anthony Ireland's quickness and ball-handing skills and Ayodeji's athleticism to the extent of knowing that they would be major contributors for the upcoming season. I'm hoping one or both of the freshmen leave fans with that same feeling this year.

The festivities begin tonight at 8 p.m. with the annual Madness at Midnight event, also in Gersten Pavilion. LMU will also supply lunch at 1 p.m. tomorrow before the men's scrimmage, courtesy of In-N-Out.

Lions begin work on 2012 recruiting class

Courtesy of Ironlion

The Lions have extended an offer to point guard Donovan Johnson, according to Joel Francisco of ESPN. Johnson is set to be a senior at Palisades High School in Los Angeles, and would join the Lions in the fall of 2012.

ESPN lists Johnson at 6'0" and 165 lbs, and notes that he has high-level speed and quickness. Johnson is known for attacking the rim and having exceptionally quick hands on defense.

A source has also told me that LMU is recruiting class of 2012 forward Nick Stover of Windward High School in Los Angeles.  Stover is 6'5" and 190 lbs.

ESPN writes, "Stover has a great frame with long arms and he is still adjusting to his somewhat gawky frame (big feet). He has evolving perimeter skills and he always plays with purpose in mind. He loves to attack the basket off the dribble and in transition and he's a very good athlete. He can handle the ball well in the open court and is a good passer as well. While slashing to the basket he can finish at the rim and with contact."

View a video Q&A with Johnson below.

In other news, the 2011-12 team got together today for its first workout of the season. Both freshmen (C.J. Blackwell and Bruce English) were in attendance.

Lions pick up power forward

Courtesy of Ironlion

It seems the Lions have received a commitment from 6'5" power forward C.J. Blackwell of William Howard Taft High School in Woodland Hills, Calif. Blackwell is ranked in the top-100 power forwards in the 2011 recruiting class by ESPN. No official word from LMU has been released yet.

“I felt that Loyola Marymount was the best fit for me, it's close to home and my family can see me play in college, that was most important,'' Blackwell said to ESPNLosAngeles. “The coaching staff over at LMU said I would have a chance to play right away, but I know nothing is going to be handed to me,'' Blackwell said. “My focus was to work hard this season, I knew that if I did that, things would fall into place me for me. And they did. Now, in college, I know that I'm going to have to do the same thing. I'm ready to get back to work."

Blackwell averaged more than 13 points and nine rebounds per game in his senior season. More info on Blackwell can be read on his ESPN profile here. He joins a recruiting class that already includes shooting guard Bruce English.

Watch video of Blackwell below.