Gaels take on Lions in City of Angels

Jan 26, 2012 - 3:42 PM Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - The 21st-ranked Saint Mary's-CA Gaels look to stay unbeaten in West Coast Conference action as they hit the road to square off with the Loyola Marymount Lions at the Gersten Pavilion.

This will be the 130th meeting between the Gaels and Lions. Saint Mary's holds a 76-53 advantage in the series after winning the last 10 games in the rivalry.

Saint Mary's comes in with an 19-2 overall record after defeating the Santa Clara Broncos 93-77 on Saturday for its ninth straight victory. The last Gaels' loss came at the hands of the nationally-ranked Baylor Bears. Head coach Randy Bennett has led his team to a 8-0 start in the WCC, where the program has done very well in recent history including a share of last year's regular season title. The Gaels have finished no lower than third in the conference in each of the last eight seasons. Saint Mary's leads the league in scoring defense, scoring margin, rebound margin, and assist to turnover ratio.

The Gaels are led by the dynamic duo of Rob Jones and Matthew Dellavedova. Jones is the team's second leading scorer with an average of 14.5 ppg and the conference's leader in rebounding with 10.7 rpg The senior forward has been phenomenal as he has already recorded 13 double-doubles this season. Dellavedova is one of the best point guards in the nation this season. The Australian guard displayed his excellence as he scored 26 points, handed out seven assists, and grabbed five boards in the team's win over Santa Clara. Stephen Holt is making his mark on the defensive end, as he leads the league with 2.2 steals per game. Holt also leads the WCC with a 2.4 assist to turnover ratio. All five starters scored in double-figures in the team's last outing.

LMU is 12-8 overall after an 74-62 victory over Santa Clara on Monday night. The Lions performed well on both ends of the floor in the contest, as they connected on 51 percent of their field goals and held the Broncos to 35.7 percent shooting. Head coach Max Good's team has been very good at defending the three all season as it leads the WCC in three-point field goal defense as it has held opponents to 28.7 percent from beyond the arc. The victory over Santa Clara improved LMU's WCC record to 5-2. With a scoring average of 71.1 ppg and an allowed average of 67.3 ppg on the defensive end, LMU is outscoring its opponents by 3.8 ppg. The Lions have won five-straight road games coming into tonight.

Drew Viney and Anthony Ireland will lead the Lions in this one. Viney is scoring 15.9 ppg and leading the team in rebounding (5.8). He scored 16 points and grabbed four boards in the team's win over Santa Clara. Anthony Ireland is one of the top point guards in the WCC as he is third in the league in assists with 5.2 apg. Ireland is also a capable scorer as he averages 15.9 ppg. Ashley Hamilton and Jarred DuBois are both solid contributors to the Lions' success.