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THIS WEEK:
The Point Loma men's basketball team will be looking for revenge this Saturday when No. 18 Dixie State comes to Golden Gymnasium for a 4:00 p.m. tipoff. Earlier this season PLNU just missed its chance to upset the PacWest preseason favorite, Dixie State, on the road but fell by two points (84-82). The Sea Lions will come into the contest at 10-7 on the season and in eighth place in the PacWest standings at 5-6. Dixie State is 14-2 overall and third in the PacWest with a 8-2 conference mark.

PLNU HOSTS SUPERFEST THIS SATURDAY:
Prior to the PLNU-DSC game there will be annual Superfest event that takes place in Golden Gymnasium starting at 8:30 a.m. This will be the fifth straight year PLNU has hosted the Superfest event. Superfest offers families a chance to connect with professional athletes such as Adrian Gonzalez, Jacques Cesaire, Darrell Stuckey, Vincent Brown, Nick Hundley, Chris Byrd, Allyson Felix and a handful of others as they share their secrets of how they play and live like champions.

This FREE family event is full of clinics, games, prizes, giveaways and includes the chance to watch a PLNU basketball doubleheader or a baseball game! Sports and activities such as baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, mixed martial arts, speed clinic, and more will be presented by the professional athletes and PLNU team members. Point Loma will be offering free admission to the basketball games as part of the Superfest activities.

Chick-fil-A DAY:
Saturday's contest against the Red Storm will be a Chick-fil-A day. After the game fans can head over to Chick-fil-A on Sports Arena Boulevard for postgame fun and food. Wear your Sea Lions gear to the restaurant or show your student/staff ID to pick up your free small hand-spun milkshake. Thank you to our friends at Chick-fil-A for their support.

FOLLOW ALONG:
The game will be available for fans to follow through live video and live stats. Live video at the home games are available through America One on a pay-per-view basis. Live stats will be free. Both the live stats and the live video may be accessed through Point Loma's website at www.plnusealions.com or by clicking the following links: [Live stats] [Live video]

A LOOK AT THE SEA LIONS:
PLNU will be looking to snap back-to-back losses against Dixie State. The Sea Lions lost a heartbreaker, 75-74, to Azusa Pacific last Friday when the Cougars hit a shot with 0.5 seconds remaining. They then went on the road to play undefeated Cal Baptist and were edged 71-63. PLNU is now 10-7 on the season and in eighth place in the PacWest standings with a 5-6 record.

Hayden Lescault leads PLNU and ranks sixth in the PacWest with 16.8 ppg. He also ranks fourth in the conference in steals (1.7), eighth assists (4.1) and fifth in minutes (34.7) while leading the team in each category. He is shooting .500 percent from the field and .753 percent from the free throw line. Junior Morgan has provided PLNU with a solid presence in the paint. He is averaging 14.4 ppg and 6.5 rebounds to rank 14th in the PacWest in both categories. He is also ranked ninth in the PacWest in shooting percentage at .554. Fellow big man AJ Ussery is seventh in the PacWest in shooting percentage (.566), 11th in rebounding (6.6) and fourth in blocks (1.6). Point guard Marek Klassen ranks sixth in the PacWest in 3-pointers per game (2.4), ninth in assists (3.9) and 19th in scoring (12.8).


Point Loma leads the PacWest in scoring defense, allowing just 69.1 ppg. Their opponents are shooting just .424 percent from the field (second PacWest) and .342 from 3-point range. On offense, PLNU is third in the conference with a .492 field goal percentage, and ranks third in assists (14.4) and fifth in 3-pointers made (6.9). 

A LOOK AT THE RED STORM:
Dixie State is 14-2 this season and third in the PacWest standings at 8-2. The Red Storm's two conference losses have come on the road. The first was at Hawaii Pacific and next was last week at California Baptist. DSC ranks second in the conference in scoring offense with 84.2 ppg. The Red Storm leads the PacWest in rebounding margin (+6.6), and are second in assists (14.7) and blocked shots (3.4). Zach Robbins is the leading scorer and rebounder for DSC. He is averaging 16.2 ppg and 9.8 rebounds. He is shooting .575 from the field (fifth PacWest) and averages 2.3 blocks per game (second PacWest). DeQuan Thompson (15.5) and Dalton Groskreutz (15.4) are also averaging in double-figures for the Red Storm. 

A LOOK BACK AT PLNU VS. DSC (DEC. 14, 2013):
No. 8 Dixie State outscored Point Loma 56-39 over the final 20 minutes to erase a 15-point halftime deficit and earn a 84-82 win on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Marek Klassen scored 18 points to lead four Sea Lions in double-figures. He hit four 3-pointers and also dished out four assists. Hayden Lescault led PLNU with six assists while scoring 16 points. This was his fifth straight game in double-figures. Junior Morgan paced the team with eight rebounds, while chipping in with 13 points. AJ Ussery also added 12 points. DeQuan Thompson and Kimball Payne scored 17 points apiece to lead the Red Storm. Dalton Groskreutz and Zach Robbins also added 15 points each.

PLNU led 43-28 at the half and pushed their lead to 17 points early in the second half. The Red Storm chipped away and took a 64-62 lead midway through the second half. The game would go back and forth until it was tied at 79-79. Dixie State's Groskreutz missed a jumper but Zach Robbins grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled. He went to the free throw line and knocked down both shots at the charity stripe to put the Red Storm in front by two with 32 seconds left.

Point Loma tried to answer on its possession but turned the ball over and then fouled Dixie State who knocked down two more free throws with nine seconds remaining. Klassen hit a 3-pointer on the next possession to cut DSC's lead back to one (83-82) but Robbins knocked down 1-of-2 free throws with two seconds left to seal the game.

USSERY NAMED PACWEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
AJ Ussery of the Point Loma men's basketball team was named the Pacific West Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 13-19. Ussery had five blocks and 10 rebounds to go along with eight points in a 75-74 buzzer beating loss to Azusa Pacific. Ussery is averaging 2.5 blocks per game in his last six contests and ranks fourth overall in the PacWest with 1.6 blocks per game.

NEXT WEEK:
The Sea Lions will host a pair of opponents next week when Dominican (CA) comes to town on Thursday (Jan. 30) and Academy of Art on Saturday (Feb. 1).