Pepperdine Catches the Lions Napping

Pepperdine ended regular season play with a confidence-boosting victory over Loyola Marymount heading into the West Coast Conference Tournament, defeating the Lions by a final score of 65-49.

Feb 12, 2015; Spokane, WA, USA; Loyola Marymount Lions guard David Humphries (45) brings the ball down court against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. The Bulldogs won 80-51. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Stacy Davis continued his monstrous and dominating rampage through conference play, grabbing a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. He wasn’t alone, though, as Jett Raines notched 14 points, Lamond Murray Jr. added 13, and Jeremy Major contributed ten for the Waves.

This win will make for a positive transition as Pepperdine prepares to make some noise in Las Vegas. If they continue this strong offensive outing heading into March, don’t be too surprised if you see that unique Wave mascot dancing in the WCC Championship.

Now, for the not-so-fun part. Loyola Marymount is riding a six-game losing streak following this beating they took from the Waves. They haven’t won a game in nearly a month, and have been extremely limited on both ends of the floor. To put it simply: it doesn’t look good for the Lions.

It’s clear that this team is still learning to gel under the direction of Mike Dunlap. This is completely understandable, given that it’s his first year as head coach with a relatively young and inexperienced team. Dunlap is certainly leading his team in the right direction, but as for right now, it’s fair to say his squad has some work to do.

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Marin Mornar knocked down ten points for LMU, while David Humphries collected a double-double with 11 points and ten rebounds. These two were the only players to score in double figures for the Lions, though.

If Loyola Marymount wants to have any chance by the time they reach the Sin City, they’re going to need consistent, energizing outputs from their entire squad. We know they’re capable of such a feat, as we’ve seen them accomplish it before this season. But as of late, most everything has gone south for LMU.

It’s not going to be easy to get a victory in the tournament with a six-game losing streak hovering above a team’s psyche, but it’s possible. Though scarce, the Lions have shown flashes of strength and perseverance this season. If they can find a way to operate as a team come tournament time, we could be in a big-time upset.