LMU

LMU Signs Three More Recruits

Press Release — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:15:07 -0700

Los Angeles, CA - Loyola Marymount Head Coach Bill Bayno, on the job since April, has had a busy four months as he puts together his first roster at the helm of the Lions. The roster looks to be finished as three more high school standouts - Jarred DuBois (G, 6-3, Westchester HS - Los Angeles, CA), Romaric Lasme (F, 6-7, Winchendon School - Winchendon, MA), and Kevin Young (F, 6-8, Perris HS - Perris, CA) ? have committed and formally accepted written scholarship offers to attend LMU this fall.

The final three recruits of the 2008-09 class brings the total number to eight for Bayno in his first season, bringing more excitement for Bayno entering his first season of college coaching since 2000.

"The addition of Jarred, Romaric and Kevin completes a recruiting class that I am very pleased with," said Bayno. "Our expectations our first year was to put together a class that can start us on the right path to competing in the WCC. I think we exceeded expectations and I am excited to get on the court with our team. We will be very young, but we have the potential to be very exciting."

DuBois becomes the second player from Westchester High School to join the Lions' program. The high school power, no more than a mile from the LMU campus, had not sent a player to LMU in over 20 years. They have now sent one in consecutive years as DuBois joins redshirt freshman and former teammate Isaiah Jenkins on the roster.

The guard helped Westchester to a 29-5 record overall and 11-1 league play as a senior and a 26-7 overall record as a junior. He is a two-time first-team All-Western selection, a two-time Daily Breeze All-Area team selection and a two-time Los Angeles All-City selection. He averaged around 16 points, three assists, four rebounds and two steals in his
final two seasons at Westchester.

Lasme becomes another east coast recruit, joining Larry Davis and Vernon Teel in this year's class. The 6-7 Lasme, brother of former UMass star and NBA player Stephane Lasme, went to Winchendon School in Massachusetts. He was a key component in a team that went to the NEPSAC finals. He was listed as one of the top-10 prep players in Massachusetts and was a McDonald's All-American nominee after averaging 13.0 points
per game plus 8.9 rebounds and 6.1 blocks per game.

The final recruit was a hidden gem discovered late by Bayno in summer leagues. His performances at the Reebok All-American Camp and 2008 Fullcourt Press All-West Camp turned heads by top programs across the country but the southern California product decided to stay close to home.

Young finished the season averaging 16.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.7 blocks. His final year of high school include three triple doubles as he totaled 499 points, 335 rebounds, 114 blocks, 66 assists and 59 steals on the season.

His first triple-double on the season came in a 72-52 win over Cajon on Nov. 29, 2007 as he went for 16 points, 17 rebounds and 12 blocks. The 12 blocks were a career best. Cajon was victim again on Jan. 21 when he went for 27 points, 16 rebounds and 10 blocks in a 61-45 win. His final triple-double came in a 90-78 win over Cathedral City. He went for 17 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks. The 20 rebounds was a career-best.

He went for more than 20 six times including a career-best 31 twice. He went for 31 in a 82-67 win over Claremont and two games later with for 31 in a 96-58 win over La Jolla Country Day.

- LMULions.com -

LMU Adds Vernon Teel to Solid Class

Press Release — Wed, 28 May 2008 08:50:40 -0700

Los Angeles, CA -- The Loyola Marymount University men's basketball team continued to add to its roster for the 2008-09 season under first-year Head Coach Bill Bayno with the signing of junior college transfer Vernon Teel and Great Britain National Team member Ashley Hamilton.

With Teel and Hamilton signing National Letters of Intent, it brings the Lions' recruiting class under Bayno to five. Teel joins the Lions from Chipola College in Florida while Hamilton comes from the Gran Canaria Basketball Academy in Spain. Teel will be a sophomore athletically while Hamilton will be a freshman. Both will be eligible to play in 2008-09.

"The commitment from both Vernon and Ashley were important to the building of our program," said Bayno. "This gives us two players who have the ability to be high major players eligible to play right away. Both are very talented, athletic players who could provide a huge impact in the WCC right away."

The 6-4 Teel, a native of Jamica, New York, averaged 35.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 4.0 steals per game as a senior at Flushing (NY) High School. He was named the IS8 Most Valuable Player, was an ABCD Camp All Star and a McDonald¹s All-America nominee. He left as Flushing High's all-time leading scorer and the NYS leading scorer.

"Vernon is a multiple-position type player who can be effective with aggressive defense and his ability offensively create," said Bayno. "He was a prolific scorer in high school but was able to change and grow as a player at the junior college level. He has become very good in the ability to get his teammates great shots.²

Following high school, he went to Long Island University for one season where he did not play. He then transferred to Chipola. While at the junior college in Marianna, Fla. Teel helped the team to a No. 2 national ranking in the NJCAA and helped them win the Florida State Championship and earn a bid to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.

As for the 6-7, 210-pound Hamilton, he played for the Great Britain Under-20 National team, helping them to the quarterfinals of the European Championships. He had 19 points and eight rebounds against Finland in the quarters.

"Ashley is a major college athlete that will not only bring incredible leaping ability, but a tough, unselfish style of play that will allow us to be successful," said Bayno. "He has the ability to guard at multiple positions. Offensively, he uses his strength to get to the rim while also being able to score in the post. He should be able to have a big impact at both ends of the floor in rebounding the basketball."

Teel and Hamilton join incoming Lions LaRon Armstead (Fremont HS), Larry Davis (Seton Hall) and Drew Viney (Oregon). Davis and Viney will sit out the 2008-09 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

LMU Adds Two Recruits

Press Release — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 05:54:40 -0800

Los Angeles, CA – High school standout guards Kwame Vaughn (6-5, Guard, Skyline High School – Oakland, CA) and Wendell Wright (6-3, Guard, Mayfair High School – Lakewood, CA) signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday to join the Loyola Marymount men’s basketball program in the fall of 2008. Both Vaughn and Wright were named top guards in their league as juniors in 2006-07 and give LMU two more California products recruited by third-year Head Coach Rodney Tention.

Vaughn led the Oakland Section in scoring in 2007 with 16.8 points per game for Skyline High School. Wright was an All-Suburban League selection a year ago for Mayfair High School in Lakwood. During Tention’s tenure at LMU, he has signed 11 high school players, and with the signing of Vaughn and Wright, seven of those 11 are from the talent-rich state of California.

“Kwame and Wendell are two very good players and Wendell is the fourth from our backyard,” said Tention. “All of the guys that we have brought in are good players. It shows that we are a viable option. There is no reason we can’t get some of the better kids from California to come to LMU.”

Not only have the Lions gone in-state, they have gone to top programs. Vaughn helped Skyline to a 19-12 overall record and 7-3 in the Oakland League, falling in the quarterfinals of the sectional playoffs. Wright was on a Mayfair team that went 21-7 overall and 10-2 in the Suburban League. He helped the team to the quarterfinals of the Southern Sectional.

“It is really important to recruit kids from winning programs. We have to recruit the type of player who knows how to win. With Kwame and Wendell and the others we have signed the last two years, it shows that we are finding players that made their teams into winners,” said Tention.

Vaughn and Wright put up impressive numbers as juniors. In addition to leading the league in scoring, Vaughn had 155 rebounds (5.0 per game), 162 assists (5.2 apg) and 11 steals (3.2 spg). He shot 49 percent from the floor (172-of-348) and 51 percent from the three-point line (51-of-101). He went on to be named by the San Francisco Chronicle the the All-Metro second team. Wright finished his junior season averaging 11 points per game on a squad with four players signing Division-I NLIs. He added five rebounds and four assists per contest.

“Both are really skilled players that can play anywhere on the perimeter,” said Tention. “They are athletic – the type of player you need to win championships. They are two great kids who want to be a part of this program. That is the type of player I want here, ones that want to be part of something successful.”

LMU Signs Isaiah Jenkins

Press Release — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 03:12:57 -0700

Los Angeles, CA (April 11) - Isaiah Jenkins will not have far to travel when heplays NCAA Division I basketball next year, as the senior from Southern
California power Westchester High School has signed his National Letter of Intent to attend Loyola Marymount University starting in the fall of 2007.

Jenkins helped Westchester, which is located no more than a mile from LMU's main campus, to a 26-7 overall record, 10-2 league and helped them reach the CIF Southern Sectional Finals against Fairfax.

"Isaiah Jenkins is a great sign for us and this program," said Head Coach Rodney Tention, who has coached two seasons at LMU. "He comes from a great program and probably won more than 100 games in his career at Westchester. He is a quality player and to be able to sign him this late in the year is a real plus for our program."

Jenkins was named All-City Section for the second year and is a two-time All-Area selection after averaging 14.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He scored 18 points on six three-pointers to defeat Los Angeles Dorsey 90-75 in the second round of the Southern California Regional Division I playoffs and was named MVP of the Westchester Tip-off Classic in December.

"Isaiah is a good shooter and comes from a program that has given him the
foundation to become a very good college player," said Tention. "Like all of our young players, he will have the opportunity to make an instant impact on this team."

The 6-5 Jenkins will join three other incoming freshmen who signed during the
early period in November - Orlando Johnson (F/G, 6-5, 205, Palma High School),
Brandon Walker (G, 6-3, 190, Bishop O'Dowd), and Tim Diederichs (F, 6-9, 225,
Snohomish HS).

LMU's Miller is WCC Player of the Week

Press Release — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 12:42:16 -0800

Los Angeles, CA (Feb. 6) - For the second time this season, Loyola Marymount senior Adoyah Miller was named by the West Coast Conference as the Player of the Week. The fifth-year player continues his turn-around campaign as he shares this week's honor with Santa Clara's Sean Dennison. Both players led their teams to sweeps this past weekend.

Miller helped the Lions defeat Portland 74-59 on Saturday and then led all scorers in the upset over Gonzaga, 67-61, on Big Monday. Miller averaged 19.0 points while shooting 50 percent from the field and 62 percent from the three-point line.

On Saturday, he went 6-for-11 from the floor, hitting 5-for-9 from beyond the arc to net 17 points. He added a rebound, three assists in the win. In the big win Monday, he went 3-for-7 from the field, all three coming from the three-point line on four attempts. However, it was charity work that got the Lions the win.

He went 12-for-14 from the free throw line (86 percent), hitting six straight in the final minutes to give the Lions their first win in eight tries against Gonzaga. He added two assists and a steal in 35 minutes.

Miller earned his first Player of the Week honor on Dec. 26 for his performance against Boise State and Long Beach State. He had his first two 20-point games in those two non-conference games. In league games, Miller leads the WCC with 3.11 three-pointers per game, ranking fourth with 2.4 in all games played.

Overall he is ranked 15th in scoring at 11.7 points per game, coming in at 7th in WCC games at 15.1 points per game. His 41.2 percent shooting form three in league games is ranked ninth, while his 41.1 percent in all games is ranked fifth.

Miller's numbers are all the more impressive as he appeared in just 10 games in his first two seasons at LMU due to injuries. He had scored 56 points with seven three-pointers in his first two campaigns. This season he has 292 points and 60 three pointers, the third most in a decade at LMU.

LMU Upsets Gonzaga 67-61

Press Release — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Los Angeles, CA (Feb. 5) - It was another classic at Gersten Pavilion, as Loyola Marymount men's basketball defeated West Coast Conference leader Gonzaga, 67-61, in WCC action late Monday night. In a game that featured 17 lead changes and 12 ties, the Lions took the lead for good on a pair of free throws with 3:01 remaining by senior Adoyah Miller and held on with clutch work at the charity stripe to send the crowd of 3,815 on to the floor at Gersten Pavilion Monday night.

The Lions were led by Miller with 21 points as the fifth-year senior hit 10-for-12 from the charity stripe. Senior Matthew Knight chipped in 13 points and nine rebounds while fellow fifth-year senior John Montgomery added a career-high for the second straight night with 12 points, including clutch free throws down the stretch. Josh Heytvelt led the Zags with 18 points.

LMU improves to 11-14 on the year and 3-6 in the WCC and snaps an eight-game skid to the Zags, last winning nearly four years to the day at Gersten Pavilion, 80-74 on Feb. 8, 2003. Gonzaga falls to 17-8 and 8-2.

"The guys have been working so hard in practice the last four weeks and it proves that you play like you practice. This was a big win for us," said Head Coach Rodney Tention. "This is the best this team has felt since we got here. We executed so well tonight. The guys really deserved this."

With the game tied at the half, the game would go back-and-forth the entire half. The largest lead by both teams was when Gonzaga took a 43-39 lead with 14:33 mark after a Jeremy Pargo three-pointer. Montgomery answered with one of his three long balls and then after a steal by Montgomery, Knight gave the Lions a 44-43 lead with 13:47 on the clock.

The tug-of-war continued as Gonzaga took the lead back on another Pargo three, the Lion retook the lead on a Corey Counts three. Heytvelt hit a three of his own to take the lead back and then several possessions later junior Jon Ziri's traditional three-point play game it back to LMU. LMU fnished 7-for-13 (53.8 percent) from the three-point line while Gonzaga went 8-for-19 (42.1 percent).

Down by a pair, 54-52, Montgomery hit another three pointer and Knight hit one of two free throws to give the Lions a two-point edge, 56-54 with 6:53 on the clock. A Pargo lay-up and one of two free throws by Heytvelt gave Gonzaga their final lead of the game with 3:44 remaining, 57-56.

From that point, the Lions out did one of the best free throw shooting teams in the nation, hitting their final nine points from the charity stripe. Miller was fouled by Pargo with 3:01 on the clock and hit both to give LMU a 58-57 lead. It proved to be the game winner.

After a Knight rebound on a Matt Bouldin miss, he was fouled and hit both free throws to give LMU a 60-57 lead. On the next possession, LMU forced Gonzaga into a tough three-pointer by Bouldin and Knight made the board with 1:11 remaining.

LMU put a tighter grip on the game as Knight got an offensive rebounds off his own miss with 34 seconds remaining, forcing Gonzaga to foul. Montgomery hit one of two to give LMU a two possession lead with :31 remaining.

"That was the biggest free throw of my life," said Montgomery, who added two assists, two rebounds and a steal. "We knew if we played the way we are capable of, and execute the way we have been practicing we could get this one."

The Lions went 6-for-6 in the final 23 seconds to win it. Montgomery hit a pair and Miller hit the last four. They finished 22-for-29 at the stripe (75.9 percent) while Gonzaga went 7-for-14, a mirror image of how they have done on the season. Gonzaga came into the game tops in the WCC and one of the best nationally at 78.1 percent while LMU entered ranked seventh in the eight-team conference at 67.2 percent.

"We have been gaining confidence as a team the last several weeks, and that was evident at the line," said Tention. "We did a really good job of putting ourselves in the position to go to the line by being patient in our offense."

While the Lions offense finished the game shooting just 38.8 percent, LMU held the league's best shooting team to 44.2 percent and nearly 20 points below their average. The Lions scored 11 points off 14 Gonzaga turnovers as junior Damian Martin added three steals with his four assists and eight rebounds. He also helped the Lions hold WCC leading scorer Derick Raivio to seven points below his average with 11.

San Diego 79 - LMU 74

Press Release — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800

Los Angeles, CA (Jan. 15) - Loyola Marymount University fell in another down-to-the-wire affair, this one coming to the University of San Diego, 79-74, on Monday night at Gersten Pavilion. The Lions trailed by as many as 16 in the second half but cut USD's lead to three twice in the final five minutes but could not finish the comeback.

Senior Adoyah Miller led the Lions with 23 points, scoring 21 in the second half and hitting 6-for-13 from the three-point line. Junior Damian Martin set a career high for the second straight night with 18 points. Ross DeRogatis led all scorers with 25 points, including 6-for-10 from beyond the arc.

Martin had a monster weekend, averaging 17.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.0 blocks and 2.5 steals. He came into the weekend at 4.5 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game, 0 blocks and 1.9 steals per game.

LMU can't by a break as a slow start once again put them in a hole they couldn't recover from, dropping their seventh straight to fall to 8-12 on the season and 0-4 in the WCC. USD improves to 12-6 overall and 2-1 in the WCC.

"You can't come out slow to start the game and expect to come back every time," said Head Coach Rodney Tention. "They wanted it more at the start. We did well to come back but as we get in position to take over we mentally let down. We have to play 40 full minutes."

The Lions fell down by as many as 16 with 14:05 to play in the second. However, their defense once again got them back in it. LMU held USD without a field goal for over seven minutes (from 13:29 to 6:33).

In the USD drought, the Lions managed to cut the lead to four thanks to back-to-back three-pointers by Miller, making it 62-58 with 6:50 remaining.
Pomare ended the Toreros' slump at 6:33 with a jump hook in the paint, making it 64-58.

Miller's fifth three of the game made the score 64-61 with 5:10 remaining. USD would separate once again, capped by DeRogatis' sixth three to make it 73-64 with a little more than four minutes remaining.

LMU wasn't through as Grubb made it 75-69 on yet another offensive rebound
putback with 1:45 on the clock. The Lions finished with 41 rebounds, 22 on the offensive end. USD had 31 rebounds and just eight offensive boards.

Grubb then hit a three-pointer after a USD turnover to put the lead back to
three, 75-72 with 59 seconds to play. The Lions played perfect defense and
forced Johnson to try a long three pointer. However, the Lions didn't get the
offensive board and had to foul Johnson who hit both free throws to make it a
five-point affair, 77-72, to ice it.

"We are not a good team at getting loose balls," said Tention. "It comes down to desire and heart. We just didn't have the heart to get the loose ball."

The torrid shooting pace for the Toreros was set early and often. Pomare and
DeRogatis hit their first 11 shots combined, including four three-pointer by
DeRogatis as USD hit 70 percent in the first half to take a 42-28 lead. They
shot just 40 percent in the second half to finish at 56 percent. LMU hit 39.1
percent.

Turnovers hurt the Lions as it has throughout the last seven setbacks. USD
scored 16 points off 10 turnovers for the 14-point edge at the break and
finished scoring 22 points on 16 LMU turnovers.

Gonzaga Rolls Over LMU

Press Release — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 21:15:51 -0800

Spokane, WA (Jan. 6) - With an 8-0 run in the final two minutes of the first half, Loyola Marymount cut Gonzaga's lead to 40-35 and looked to have the momentum. However, Bulldog senior Derek Raivio hit a lay-up at the buzzer to start a 16-0 run that went through the start of the first half that led Gonzaga to a 97-62 win over LMU on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Adoyah Miller capitalized on a three-point play, senior John Montgomery hit a three-pointer and senior Matthew Knight hit a short jumper to make the score 40-35 with 1:06 remaining. The Lions had a shot to cut it to just a pair when Montgomery's three-pointer rimmed out with five seconds left.

However, Raivio took the rebound the length of the court and took themomentum right from the Lions and his layin with 0.5 left in the first half kicked started the Bulldogs damaging run.

Knight, playing for the first time in three games, led the Lions with 19 points and seven rebounds, going 7-for-14 from the field. Sophomore Marko Deric had a career-high eight points while Miller and Montgomery added seven each.

Senior Derick Grubb added 11 as the Lions dropped their fourth straight and fall to 8-9 overall and 0-1 in WCC play. Gonzaga snapped a four-game losing skid, their longest since 1997, and improve to 10-6 overall and 1-0 in the WCC.

"We didn't come out and match their intensity in the second half," said Head Coach Rodney Tention. "They wanted in more than we did. They say a whole lot is determined the first five minutes of each half. We turned the ball over early in the first half and they jumped on us and we turned it over to start the second half and like a good team they finished us off."

The Bulldogs shot 65 percent in the second half and finished the game hitting 61.4 percent. Gonzaga scored 21 second half points on 11 turnovers by the Lions, scoring 19 in the first eight minutes to burry the Lions.

LMU finished just 34.9 percent from the field. Both teams had 20 turnovers but Gonzaga finished the game outscoring the Lions off turnovers, 27-13. Sean Mallon had a career-high 23 points with nine rebounds to lead the Bulldogs.

"They stepped their game and we didn't," said Tention. "Mallon did everything we knew he could do. To Gonzaga's credit, they had them ready to play."

The Lions will conclude their four-game road swing at Portland on Monday at 8 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPNU and heard through Lions All-Access at LMULions.com and KXLU 88.9 FM.

- LMU Media Relations -

San Diego State 74 - LMU 63

Press Release — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800

San Diego, CA (Dec. 16) - The non-conference match-up between San Diego State and Loyola Marymount looked to be a up and down battle Saturday night in San Diego. However, the Lions went over nine minutes with just three points and one field goal as they went down double digits and could not recover, falling 74-63 at Cox Arena.

Senior Brandon Worthy finished the game with 22 points and five rebounds Matthew Knight added 16 points and five rebounds while Adoyah Miller had 10 points. The Lions fall to 7-5 while SDSU improves to 10-2.

With 11:07 remaining in the first half, Worthy tied the score at 17 with a steal and transition basketball. However, the Lions would go through another scoring drought. They would hit just one field goal and score just three points in a nine-minute span as SDSU took a 33-20 lead on a 16-3 run.

Worthy ended the run with a three-pointer 1:50 remaining in the half as they trailed 35-25 at the break.

Aztec leading scorer Brandon Heath, who was held to just one field goal and six points in the first half, exploded to lead SDSU with five straight points and a 15-point lead just two minutes in to the second half. Heath would score 19 second half points to finish with a game-high 25 points.

The Lions cut the lead to nine, 47-38, on a three by Miller with 14:29 remaining. SDSU would go on another run, this one 16-4 over six minutes to go up by as many as 21.

It was far from over as the Lions attempted yet another comeback. To theshock
of the 6,033 in attendance, the Lions went on an 18-3 run in six minutes to cut the lead to six. In the run freshmen Shawn Deadwiler II hit a long jumper to make it 64-52 and Worthy's three-pointer with 2:55 remaining made it a 64-57 game.

After a pair of free throws by Mohamed Abukar, who had 17 points, Worthy hit another three pointer to make it 66-60 with 2:29 remaining. They got no closer as San Diego State held on.

LMU's shooting woes continued as the shot just 32 percent for the game. In the five losses this season they are shooting 32 percent and averaging 59 points per game, while scoring 72.9 points and shooting 45 percent in the seven wins. San Diego State finished the game shooting 51 percent and outrebounded the Lions 40-29.

LMU 71 - NMSU 69

Press Release — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0800

Los Angeles, CA - Loyola Marymount senior Brandon Worthy hit an off-balanced three-pointer with 0.9 seconds remaining to lift the Lions to a 71-69 come-from-behind win over New Mexico State in front of 3,570 at Gersten Pavilion Friday night. Worthy led the Lions with 28 points as the Lions erased a 17-point second half deficit for the win.

The performance by Worthy could be summed up like this - after putting up a career-high 28 points with eighth rebounds, two assists and two steals in 37 minutes while both calves where cramping - a young boy clad in New Mexico State gear asked the fifth-year senior for an autograph telling him he had a new fan.

"Brandon is flat-out a warrior who wants nothing else but wins. He wants the ball at the end of the game and his teammates know to get it to him," said Head Coach Rodney Tention.

New Mexico State had one more shot at the win but Worthy blocked Justin Hawkins three-pointer at the buzzer. A fitting close to the game Worthy played.

The Lions improve to 2-1 on the season while New Mexico State falls to 1-1 following a physical contest that looked to be a runaway for the Aggies. The teams were called for 55 fouls as Tention was called for his second technical and ejected from the game with 8:17 left. New Mexico State built a 15-lead at the break and went up 17 15:54 remaining as the Lions struggled to get anything going.

However, down 60-45 after an Elijah Ingram three-pointer with 11:17 remaining, the Lions put the clamps on the Aggies' offense, and LMU took over. The Lions cut the lead to 10, 63-53 with 8:47 remaining when Worthy hit a free throw. Worthy finished 11-for-16 from the line. Less than 30 seconds later Tention was called for his second technical and it seemed to only put the Lions into another gear.

Ingram hit one of the two technical free throws to go up 64-53. The Lions then rattled off a 15-0 run over the next five minutes to take a 68-64 lead, their first since leading 9-7 in the first half. Senior Derick Grubb started the run with a dunk, followed by a lay-in by senior Matthew Knight with 6:51 remaining.

At this point both Grubb and Knight were playing with four fouls. Knight, Worthy and Grubb then each added a free throw to make it 64-60 Aggies with 5:11 remaining. Worthy hit a jumper to put LMU within two. Grubb then hit a 10-foot jumper and then a three-pointer with 3:18 remaining to give LMU the lead. Worthy added a free thrown to close the run.

The Aggies would get their first field goal, a dunk by David Fisher, in over 11 minutes to retake the lead at 69-68 with 14 seconds remaining to set-up the final series for Worthy.

"What an overall team effort," said Tention. "We wanted to come out and compete until the end. We didn't play to our capability in our last game (against Mississippi State) and knew we were a better team. In the second half our guys really got after it. This was a good win against a quality opponent."

Knight finished the game with 13 points, all coming in the final 15 minutes of the game. Grubb added 14 while freshman Max Craig added eight points off the bench. The Lions finished the game shooting 46 percent, hitting 58.3 percent in the second half. LMU forced NMSU into 26 turnovers on seven steals while holding them to just 28 percent shooting in the second half and 38 percent for the game.

"Our defense has to be consistent for us to be competitive. We did a great job in holding a good shooting team to 38 percent shooting," said Tention.

- from LMU -