Loyola Marymount men's basketball team fended off a late Pepperdine charge Jan. 19 to defeat the Waves 74-70 and run their record to 9-1 at Gersten Pavilion (a.k.a., “Hank’s House”).
The win followed a 73-55 loss Jan. 17 to West Coast Conference leader Gonzaga at Spokane, in which the Lions held their own much of the first half against the nation’s No. 5 team before the Bulldogs took charge.
Against Pepperdine, five players scored in double figures for LMU (14-5 overall, 2-3 WCC), led by Eli Scott (17 points), Joe Quintana (15), Dameane Douglas (13), Mattias Markusson (11, plus 10 rebounds) and James Batemon (10, plus 10 assists), while Jeffery McClendon had six steals. Former St. Anthony’s (Long Beach) star Eric Cooper Jr. scored 18 for Pepperdine.
“It was a key win for us, a confidence builder for us,” said head coach Mike Dunlap. “It was a needed win for us after two conference losses, to stop the bleeding.”
Against Gonzaga, LMU gave up “too many easy baskets” and made too many turnovers, said Dunlap. Batemon was the only Lion in double figures with 12 points, as Gonzaga closed out the first half on a 15-4 run to lead 36-22, and led by as many as 29 in the second half.
LMU takes to the road for games Jan. 26 at San Diego and Jan. 28 (at Santa Clara).
WCC Standings (through Jan. 19): Gonzaga 5-0; San Francisco and St. Mary’s 4-1; BYU 4-2; Santa Clara 3-3; LMU and San Diego 2-3; Pepperdine 2-4; Pacific 1-5; Portland 0-5.
Women’s basketball
Despite career highs from Chelsey Gibson (29 points) and Bree Alford (18 rebounds), the LMU women's basketball team lost a 95-86 overtime decision to Pepperdine in Malibu Jan. 19.
The Lions (10-9 overall, 3-4 WCC) rallied from a five-point deficit in the final two minutes of regulation to tie the game on Gibson’s three-pointer with 22 seconds left. But Pepperdine took command early in overtime and the Lions could never catch up.
Alford had 15 points, Raychel Stanley scored 13 and Andee Velasco had eight assists for the Lions, who next play Jan. 24 at Pacific and Jan. 26 at St. Mary’s.
WCC standings (through Jan. 12): BYU 8-0; Gonzaga 6-1; Pepperdine and Pacific 5-2; St. Mary’s 4-3; LMU 3-4; Santa Clara 2-5; Portland and San Francisco 1-6; San Diego 1-7.
Baseball
A full slate of events is set Jan. 26 with the LMU Alumni Game at Page Stadium, starting with batting practice at 10:30 a.m. and first pitch at noon. In the evening, the seventh annual LMU Baseball Casino Night and Silent Auction takes place at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel starting at 5 p.m.
The 2019 LMU baseball season begins with a three-game series Feb. 15-17 at UC Santa Barbara. The Lions’ first home series is Feb. 22-24 against St. Louis University, and the WCC season starts with a home series March 15-17 against Santa Clara.
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