Men’s Basketball Team Opens Season

ATHLETICS | The LMU men’s basketball team is back at a new-look Gersten Pavilion this week, and fans have the opportunity to experience several new and expanded offerings. The home opener is Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019, against Westcliff University, a team that the Lions beat 75-43 on opening night last season.

The season that stands above all others in LMU Athletics history is the 1989-90 men’s basketball team. With the 30th anniversary of that tragic and magical year set for this season, a multifaceted celebration is planned throughout the year, culminating in a special event on Feb. 29, 2020. To honor Hank Gathers over the next 44 days, join Athletics in supporting the legacy through contributing to the statue project. Every gift matters, at any capacity. There are three donation levels of $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 that come with opportunities to have your name on the statue, throwback Adidas ’89-90 basketball jersey’s, and access to Lions Athletic basketball halftime receptions.

The LMU women’s basketball team won its exhibition 59-50 against Point Loma on Saturday afternoon in Gersten Pavilion. The Lions will open their season against UCLA at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Lions men’s and women’s cross country teams hosted the West Coast Conference Championships for the first time in nearly 40 years and finished sixth and seventh respectively at Woodley Lakes Golf Course in Van Nuys, California, on Friday. The men scored 181 points while the women tallied 165 points in a championship that featured four nationally ranked teams as well as two other regionally ranked opponents. The women’s team was paced by Kyla Danforth who posted a time of 21:19,  and earned Second Team All-WCC for her top-15 finish. The Lions next test will come in two weeks at the NCAA Division I West Regionals on Friday, Nov. 15, in Colfax, Washington. LMU will look to improve on their 13th and 17th place finishes at the West Regionals from a year ago.

The women’s swimming team hosted the University of San Diego on Saturday afternoon at Burns Recreation Center for their first home meet of the 2019-20 season. Senior Lanna Kozlowski was the standout for the Lions winning both the 1000 freestyle and 500 freestyle distance events by several body lengths over the closest USD competitor. Kozlowski’s times of 10:46.43 in the 1000 and 5:15.28 in the 500 were both season-best times. The Lions next travel to Pepperdine on Friday afternoon for a 5 p.m. dual meet against the Waves.

The 13th-ranked LMU men’s water polo never trailed Thursday night at No. 19 California Baptist, but overcame four tie scores in the fourth quarter alone to top the Lancers on the road. Blazo Mitrovic matched his career-high set earlier this season with eight goals on nine shots and added two assists to reach the double-digit scoring mark. Carrasco led the team with four assists. The Lions then completed their comeback effort on Saturday, erasing an early deficit to defeat Concordia, 17-14. The Lions will remain at home for two games this upcoming week. Conference-unbeaten UC Davis comes to Burns Aquatics Center Thursday at 3 p.m. The senior class will be honored following Saturday’s game against Occidental.

The LMU men’s soccer team got goals early in both halves and a late score in the second half propelling them to a 3-1 victory over No. 23 San Diego on Wednesday night. On Saturday night, the Lions used two second half goals to keep their unbeaten record in the West Coast Conference intact and extended their winning streak to four games in a 2-0 victory over Santa Clara on Senior Night at Sullivan Field. The win keeps LMU tied atop the WCC standings alongside St. Mary’s. Up next for the Lions is a match against the No. 11 Gaels on Saturday, Nov. 9, at St. Mary’s Stadium with kickoff set for 1 p.m.

Playing against a conference-unbeaten ranked team, LMU women’s soccer was unable to pull off the road upset on Saturday afternoon. The No. 23 Broncos won 3-0 after the Lions limited them to just one goal through the first hour. The final week of the season brings University of Portland to Sullivan Field on Wednesday night before the Lions close out the year at BYU on Saturday night.

The Loyola Marymount University volleyball team picked up a 3-1 road win over Portland Thursday night in Portland, Oregon, giving them a season sweep over the Pilots. The Lions split on this weekend’s set of matches, as the team fell to Gonzaga 3-1 on the road on Saturday afternoon. The Lions will take on rival Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m.

Following a career week by Gavin Cohen, the LMU men’s golf team closed out the Hoakelei CC Invitational with bookended rounds of 285 to place eighth in the field of 20. The Lions shot 285-293-285—863 as a team to finish the tournament under par and in sole possession of eighth place. This closes out the LMU’s fall schedule. Tournament play will resume in February.

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