The Loyola Marymount University Lions lost to the University of San Diego Toreros 79 to 77 in a whirlwind men’s basketball game last Wednesday night. Fresh off a rough streak against the top teams in the West Coast Conference, the Lions started their trek to San Diego through torrential rain, floods, a tornado warning, and four men short.
Aaron McBride, Lamaj Lewis, Rick Issanza, and Keli Leaupepe are all currently recovering from injuries but are out until the end of the season. With the Lions missing their star in Leaupepe, his absence would certainly be missed as he epitomizes Lions Basketball by being with the team for the last four seasons and leading the charge by leading in points per game two of the four seasons. It would be very tough for the Lions to supplant the loss of Leaupepe.
McBride, more seen in a reserve role, has been out the last several weeks with a lingering hand injury. Issanza, the Lion’s backup center. He has missed the last couple weeks with lingering knee problems. As per Lewis’s status, while it remains to be seen on the injury timeline, he is used sparingly by coach Johnson. Swapping with the classic starters were Michael Graham, Justin Wright, and walk-on player Kevin Carney as a late-game defensive replacement.
LMU took a strong lead in the first minute of the game, with Dominick Harris and Alex Maerkvidadze both scoring three-pointers and regaining possession of the ball. This momentum continued throughout the first half of the game, with Merkvilaze finishing with twelve points and reaching the milestone of his 500th career rebound.
San Diego started to turn up the heat, but Maerkvidadze wouldn’t let them mess with his momentum just yet. After 13 unanswered points, Merkvilaze ended the Toreros run with a layup. Will Johnson followed with a three-point shot bringing the score to 15-11.
Just when Lion fans were gaining hope that the team’s luck could be turning around, the Toreros were able to lead 42-29 into halftime due to the Lion’s being unable to contain the Toreros top scorer PJ Hayes. Hayes had eleven points at the half to lead all scorers.
Justice Hill dribbles the ball up the court against the University of San Diego Toreros on Feb. 8 ,2024
Just as the second half was underway, the Lions were faced with yet another injury. Guard Dominic Harris, who is in the top 15 3PT percent in all of the NCAA, would sit out the rest of the game after sustaining a knee injury.
In the second half, the Lions played far better than they did in the first.
Justin Wright cut the San Diego lead to just seven points with scores in the second half at 14:23, 13:19, and 12:38. However, the Toreros had responded each time before building their lead back up to double digits.
Lars Thiemann had a solid stretch of his own by providing the Lions with a 6-0 run with a layup and dunk. His production brought the Lions back within five points with 6:37 remaining in the game., but a 9-2 San Diego stretch counter-punched and brought their lead back up to what seemed like an impossible 12 with 1:47 to play. Thiemann had a solid game by providing a spark with 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds, five on the offensive end.
With less than two minutes left on the clock, Justice Hill solidified his status as a key contributor and finished with 19 points. The Lions roared back in the final two minutes, scoring eight unanswered miraculously. Within 50 seconds the score was 71-67 with 50 seconds left. Justice Hill and Johnston went back-to-back from the three point line, and Hill chimed in with free throws to close the run.
After USD knocked down a pair of free throws, Johnston made his third three of the half to make it a one-possession game with six seconds left. As time dwindled, the Toreros made even more free throws as LMU continued to foul to save time. This stopped the game clock to make it a five-point game with four seconds remaining. The Lions needed nothing short of a miracle to win. Hill hit a three at the buzzer to chip away at the lead but it ultimately wasn’t enough. The Lions in a heartbreaker still lost by two. Hill had a team-high by chiming in with 19 points and providing the game’s outcome of a two-point loss. Additionally, Hill also led the Lions with five assists.
Overall, the Lions shot a dismal 36.7 percent (11-for-30) in the first half, with a much improved 58.6 percent (17-for-29) over the final two minutes. This could not compare with the steady 53 percent shot rate of the Toreros. Following this tragic loss, the Lions are set to return to Los Angeles for a Saturday night game against the Pepperdine Waves. With the Lions previously defeating the Waves earlier this season 68-61, the team can hopefully get over their three-game losing streak.
