Loyola Marymount to Face Difficult Task in San Diego

Opposites will meet tonight in a West Coast Athletic Conference basketball game when LoyolaMarymount plays at the University of San Diego at 7:30. The game could test the patience of the high-scoring Lions, who are producing 89.9 points a game but allowing 91.9.

San Diego makes a strong case for the defense, ranking fifth in the nation with an average of 59.7 points allowed. The Toreros, with their tough defense and the inside work of Scott Thompson and Nils Madden, are in first place in the WCAC with a 5-1 record and are 14-4 overall. Loyola is 10-8 on the season but 2-3 in the WCAC.

Another point in San Diego’s favor: The Toreros are 7-0 at home and Loyola is 2-6 on the road. Loyola, however, has won two straight games in San Diego’s cozy 2,500-seat Sports Center.

The Lions will be without freshman guard Jeff Fryer, who has a stress fracture in his right shin and is expected to be out at least one month.Sophomore Enoch Simmons has replaced him in the starting lineup and had a career-high 22 points in his first start Saturday against Pepperdine.

San Diego’s 7-foot, 260-pound Thompson, the conference’s top big man, averages 16 points and 7 assists. Madden, a 6-8 forward, chips in 11.3 points and 7.3 rebounds.