Ashley Hamilton available for Thursday's game

Ashley Hamilton | Courtesy of Facebook

Redshirt sophomore Ashley Hamilton, who has missed a couple of weeks due to a broken hand, has been cleared to play and will be available for Thursday's game against Portland, according to Diamond Leung of ESPN. Hamilton had surgery on the hand, which was broken in the Lions' game against Sacramento State.

Hamilton is averaging 8.2 points and 5.5 rebounds a game.

Thursday's game against Portland can be seen live on ESPN2 and tips off at 8 p.m.

Seton Hall in lead but LMU still in the running for Ajayi

Nigerian big man Lekan Ajayi, fresh off of a visit to Seton Hall, is favoring the east coast school, according to basketball blogger Adam Zagoria. Ajayi, however, has narrowed down his list to four schools, LMU still being one of them.

Zagoria posted the following on his blog Zagsblog today: “I really love Seton Hall,” Ajayi, who is averaging 9.5 points and 15.5 rebounds according to MaxPreps.com, said Monday morning by phone from North Carolina. “I’ve not made my decision yet, but right now I really love Seton Hall. I like what I see out there.”

Along with LMU, Ajayi is still considering Florida, Tennessee and Oklahoma. He has crossed Wake Forest, Kansas, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Alabama off his list.

LMU senior Renahy Young honored by WCC

LMU senior women's basketball star Renahy Young has been named this week's WCC Player of the Week, it was announced today. The women's basketball team began its conference season 2-0 this week, with wins over Saint Mary's and San Diego on the road.

The award was Young's fourth of her career.

Young averaged 23 points per game this week, and has now topped 20 in the scoring column in four straight contests. She also became LMU's all-time leader in free throws made.

Young missed the first eight games of the season due to a broken foot.

The women's team next takes on Portland at home on Thursday, looking to keep the team's perfect WCC season alive.

Tragedy hits LMU Athletics

David Kucera

I just got word that men's soccer sophomore David Kucera passed away unexpectedly yesterday in his Marina Del Rey home. He was 19. My thoughts are with his family, friends and the entire men's soccer program.

Big second half, Teel's double-double lead Lions past Toreros

Vernon Teel led the Lions in points, rebounds and assists in the win | Courtesy of Facebook

Outscoring the Toreros by ten in the second half, the Lions evened up their WCC record tonight after a 67-58 victory. Senior guard Vernon Teel led LMU with his fifth double-double of the season, contributing a team-high 16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. He also went a 8-9 from the free throw line.

The Lions evened their season record at 8-8 and their WCC record at 1-1. University of San Diego fell to 0-2 in conference play.

Freshman Anthony Ireland and junior Drew Viney also reached double-figures for the Lions, scoring 15 points and 10 points, respectively.

The Lions picked it up after a lackluster first half in which they allowed themselves to get outrebounded by three. They trailed by one at the break. In the second half, LMU outrebounded San Diego 26-13.

"In the first half it seemed like we were trying hard, but not working hard," said Head Coach Max Good in a press release after the game. "I know it sounds like a contradiction, but we had good intent, but we weren't working hard to get the result we wanted. In the second half we worked hard on the glass and it paid off in the end." 

LMU shared the ball well in the game, picking up assists on 15 of the team's 20 made baskets.

Up next, the Lions will head out on what might be the toughest road trip of the season, taking on Portland on Thursday and WCC-powerhouse Gonzaga on Saturday. Thursday's game can be seen on ESPN2 and tips off at 8 p.m. Portland is 0-1 in WCC play after falling to Gonzaga tonight.

LMU hopes to even WCC record tonight against USD

Anthony Ireland | Courtesy of Facebook

The Lions (7-8, 0-1) will host the Toreros (3-12, 0-1) tonight looking to even up their West Coast Conference record at 1-1 after receiving a beating from Saint Mary's on Thursday. The Toreros are coming off of a 20-point loss to Pepperdine, even though the Waves played without their top scorer Keion Bell.

LMU did receive some good news this week, as Ashley Hamilton, who has been out a couple weeks after needing surgery on a broken hand, was cleared to practice yesterday. He is listed as questionable for tonight's game.

The Toreros finished the non-conference season with the worst record in the WCC,  and have only one player averaging double figures in scoring. That player is junior guard Darian Norris, who barely squeaks into that category with a 10.5 points per game average. The team is averaging just over 62 points per game.

The Lions won both of the two team's meetings last season, and received a 35 points game from leading scorer Drew Viney when the Lions faced the Toreros in February 2010.

Tonight's game tips off at 7 p.m., and can be heard live on KXLU 88.9 FM.

Ajayi still considering becoming a Lion

Word came out today that 6'10" center Lekan Ajayi has narrowed down his list of schools to five, and LMU is still one of them, according to college basketball recruiting reporter Adam Zagoria. Ajayi is currently on an unofficial visit to Seton Hall, where he watched them take on No. 4 Syracuse earlier today. Seton Hall put up a fight, but fell 61-56.

Ajayi is still considering Seton Hall, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Florida and Loyola Marymount. He is a player known for his defensive skills, and is the 15th best center available in the 2011 recruiting class.