Lions vs. Zags

[ironlions]

Well we have a one game winning streak against the them. Let's hope the young Lions come out and play their best game.

Go Lions!

[lmu]

we have the location, the campus, the hottest girls, we should win this game. Period.













I hope everyone's sarcasm-O-meter still works.

[lionspride]

All ravid fans.....We need to create and hold up signs like:

DRUG TEST AT THE DOOR PLEASE

MUSHROOM HEAD

HIGHtvelt

We Lions Fans need to pound on HIGHtvelt

Bring all the signs you can. If we don't win, at least we will have fun getting under their skin. Maybe we can rattle them a bit and cause a miracle. I am down for that.

[Deleted]

Maybe if we can round up all the hot LMU girls in the gym we can distract the zag players. Go lions! Over/Under 1000 live bodies?

[fanblade]

Nice taunts.

[golions]

Won't be at Gersten tonight, but am hoping that we compete well and give our best.

Go Lions!

[golions]

Diedrichs and Craig are absolute non-factors in the 1st half. We are getting crushed underneath.

[golions]

Horrible defensive effort, especially in the paint. The Bulldogs scored a season-high 93 points.

We have not held a team under 82 points in our last 7 games - coincidentally - all losses.

9 losses in our last 10 games.

Guard play was inspiring (Counts and Johnson played well).

[ironlions]

There is a lot of things we could of done better...but all in all i'm was proud of the Lions tonight. Counts was amazing!

Go Lions

[fanblade]

I'm glad Counts was able to play this well on national TV. His friends and family in the area should be very proud. He did an amazing job. Our defense was bad, bigs still not a factor, too many 2nd half TOs, out muscled.... much of the same issues we've struggled with all season .

The good news was that the students did show up well. The pavillion also looks 100% better on TV now with the new bleachers, retired jerseys, and lion images. It was nice that we were able to keep up with the Zags for most of the game but we still have a lot of work ahead of us.

Got to also think Heytfelt and the team were extra motivated this time in LA too considering what happened last time

[fanblade]

Started off light but checking the box score official attendance grew to 3692.

[dead3man]

I've sat back and watched the boards since my last post and just read all the post from Grades to who knows what -----------------...

First our team was very competitive tonight up to the last 4 mins, we competed. We lost our rythm the last 4 mins but we could have won and will be winning in the WCC this year. Different players stepped up at different times. 1st half was all Counts getting it done and OJ as a steady player, Deadwiler was dropping dimes (assist) shot was off. Second half was Deadwiler, Counts and a Steady OJ.

The write up on the LMU web site says it all. Nothing NOT to be proud of except we didn't get the win at the end. The score does not indicate how the game was played except the last 4 mins.

The whole game I watched the coaches getting it done, they are getting this team to come around. PASSION from these players are starting to show. So pls stop ? these players and coaches. They need time and I see drastic improvements.

Dissappointment --

1st -- Our bigs, the "D" has to pick up inside the paint and rebounding on the defensive boards (Starting Lineup Tim and Max (1) rebound between the two, NOT good enough. T. Sutton came in and gave a great spark. They are getting great passes (assist) and dropping them or not sure what to do when they get the ball thus blowing some big buckets/production from them but even then this shall come to pass they will get better.

2nd -- Cut down the dribbling and move the ball with the pass. We dribble the ball around to much then wonder why we got a Turn Over or have to call a Time Out but all this comes with Team Chemistry.

3rd -- Players not moving to the right places in a set play within the offense which breaks RT"s play that he called apart.

Excitement --

You don't have to agree but there little things that I see and may discuss to give all a snap shot to what may being going on is SPOT ON somewhat. This team is starting to JELL together and play together. Did you see the haircuts. They are starting to JELL, come together and trust each other.

The staff is getting it done guys and I was proud of the LION's last night. They didn't let the ZAGs leave with the taste in there mouths that they didn't have to play the LIONs to get that win.

I think we held Pargo to a "0".

[lionspride]

We lost. It was competitive until about 5:30 left in the game. I will give the team much due credit for their effort and intensity. We need to learn how to get the ball into the post and to move without the ball.

However, the bottom line that sums up this game:

Points in the paint - GON 54, LMU 16.

Bottom line is the Big Men are consistently not getting it done. Although their effort may be there, they are just overmatched when it comes to size. Our shooting from the outside was better than most of our performances, but we just cannot consistently get the ball down low to score.

Bottom line on the season and future seasons is:

A new Big Man will not be stepping on the court for LMU until the 2009-2010 season. Having a Big Man step in as a freshman would be a tall task. Therefore, I see limited possibility for an above .500 season until 2010-2011. You cannot win with just a "guard attack/outside shooting exhibiition." THAT IS THE BOTTOM LINE. It comes down to how the coaching staff has decided their recruiting strategy and their ability to recruit. We are in a BIG BIND until 2009-2010.

Kudos to all the fans who showed up. I wish they could consistently show up like that every home game.

[lmu]

Brandon didn't play, what happened? Injured? Sick? Missed Practice?

The team showed some heart last night, let's see if the players can sustain it into the next game.

If we can't get players to run offense, at least make them play pressure D for 40 mins. Defense wins game, it's not even about the lack of size or experience, just show some heart --consistently -- and we will win games.

Not sure how well we will fare against portland, but last year we had trouble containing their guards, let's hope that's a no issue tmr.

[ironlions]

Andy Katz was at the game on Saturday.

From his blog:

LOS ANGELES -- Josh Heytvelt got a good sized ribbing Saturday night at Loyola Marymount's Gersten Pavilion.

So, too, did the rest of his Gonzaga teammates.

The Zags won the WCC opener handily 91-68 in front of fairly raucous 3,692 fans. But what isn't underscored enough is how Gonzaga's road trips are akin to what the following teams face away from home: Duke and North Carolina in the ACC, Kansas in the Big 12, Florida and Kentucky in the SEC, Michigan State and Indiana in the Big Ten, UCLA and Arizona in the Pac-10 and even Butler in the Horizon.

Team get up to play the Zags in the WCC and so do the fans. LMU's last home game against a solid Sam Houston State drew 1,230 fans on Dec. 30.

LMU head coach Rodney Tention was on the Arizona staff prior to landing the here so he knows all about how much the Zags have to have their A game every time out -- just like the Wildcats did when he was an assistant in Tucson. Still, Tention is convinced that if the Lions win they'll pack the house (LMU beat Gonzaga here a year ago).

"You can't describe it," Gonzaga sophomore guard Matt Bouldin said of always going on the road and being a target. "We watch these games on TV … Georgetown and UConn looked so intense but our games are just as intense. You've got to come out to play. It's a challenge every game."

The LMU fans rode Heytvelt hard because of his arrest on a drug charge that ultimately got him suspended from mid-February on last season.

"You hear it, it made me laugh," Heytvelt said. "Everybody had something to say. I take it with a good heart and forgive and forget. But these people don't forget anything."

Heytvelt, who missed the first half of the season with a broken foot, scored a team-high 19 and grabbed five boards.

"I'm definitely starting to play better," said Heytvelt, who produced his most points since coming back from his injury on Dec. 20.