COLLEGES / IRENE GARCIA : She Has Put Herself in a Good Position

When Loyola Marymount’s Nikki Rouillard got hurt last season, freshman Marlee Webb was called on to take over the duties at point guard.

Although Webb, a two-time league most valuable player at Hanks High in El Paso, Tex., had been a shooting guard throughout her career, she quickly adjusted to the position change. Webb finished with averages of 6.5 points, four assists and three rebounds.

The 5-foot-7 Webb started this season at the point but was moved to shooting guard after Lianne Ishikawa, a sophomore transfer from Cal State Fullerton, became eligible last month.

Webb has not lost her shooting touch. In her first full game as a shooting guard, she scored a career-high 19 points in the Lions’ 89-67 loss to Nevada Las Vegas.

Webb has become one of the Lions’ most consistent players, averaging 9.8 points, 4.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds.

In Loyola’s 90-77 win over Wayland Baptist of Texas, a National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics school, on Dec. 31, Webb had 12 points and 11 assists. She ranks fourth in the West Coast Conference in assists.

“She sees the floor real well,” Loyola Coach Todd Corman said.

Webb’s aggressive play also appeals to Corman.

“She is probably the one player in our backcourt that really penetrates,” Corman said. “By doing that, she opens up the inside.”

There’s no telling what Webb could do if she were at full strength. A torn meniscus in a knee has forced her to spend extra time in the training room.

At the end of the season, she will decide between surgery and an intense rehabilitation program to correct the problem.

“She’s in the training room one hour before practice and half an hour after games,” Corman said.

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Webb played three seasons at Hanks High and averaged 19.2 points, seven assists and six rebounds as a senior, when the team advanced to the second round of the state playoffs and finished 25-1.

Webb, who was named to the West Texas region team, was also named most valuable defensive player of the El Paso District. She was also recruited by the Texas El Paso and Texas San Antonio.

“I first saw her at an all-star postseason tournament,” Corman said. “She led a team of underachievers to four wins over teams that outmanned them. That really impressed me. She has a strong will to win.”

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West Coast Conference coaches picked the Loyola women to finish second the league, but the Lions have given no indication of being a winner in nonconference games.

Loyola had lost seven-consecutive games, including a 73-57 loss to NCAA Division II opponent Cal Poly Pomona on Dec. 21. The Lions finally snapped the streak on Dec. 22, defeating New Mexico, 52-43.

The Lions (4-8), who beat Cal State Northridge, 79-52, on Thursday night, will play at Southern Utah on Saturday in their last nonconference game. Loyola opens league play on the road against St. Mary’s on Friday. The Lions’ first conference home game is Jan. 21 against San Francisco.

Senior forward Sheri Brown is Loyola’s leading scorer, averaging 14 points and 7.5 rebounds. Center Amy Lundquist averages 13.6 points and 7.5 rebounds. The 6-foot-5 Lundquist, a sophomore from Wisconsin, leads the WCC in blocked shots with 24.

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The Cal State Dominguez Hills women’s basketball team may be overwhelmed when it opens league play against Division II powerhouse Cal Poly Pomona on Jan. 15.

But Toro Coach Van Girard says he is glad to play the Broncos early in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. schedule.

“Pomona, as far as I’m concerned, is head and shoulders above everybody else in this league,” Girard said. “Playing them first is good because it will give us an idea right away of how much progress we need to make and what we need to do.”

The Toros (7-7) will complete their nonconference schedule on Monday at Division I Cal State Northridge. Dominguez Hills will play host to NAIA opponent McKendree College of Illinois on Saturday at 5 p.m.

The Toros are led by senior guard Karee Bonde (12.9 points) and junior forward Trimeka Jackson (10.7 points). Jackson, a 5-foot-11 transfer from Long Beach City College, also leads Dominguez Hills in rebounds at 10.1 a game. Sophomore guard Katina Duncans leads the team in assists (4.1).

“We’ve steadily improved the level of our play,” Girard said. “We’re in the position that I thought we would be in going in to conference.”

Notes

Junior point guard Carlos Paul of the Dominguez Hills basketball team had a career-high 25 points in the Toros’ 94-79 loss to Anselm College of New Hampshire last week . . . Dominguez Hills senior forward Joe Bertrand became the first player in school history to record double figures in rebounds for six consecutive games . . . Faye Hagan, a sophomore forward, recently transferred to Dominguez Hills from Cal State Fullerton and will be eligible to play this season. The 5-foot-8 Hagan averaged 6.3 points and 5.3 rebounds as a part-time starter last season. “She’s going to help us out a great deal,” Coach Van Girard said. “We’re real excited about having her.” . . . Loyola soccer coach Peter Novakovic and his wife, Helene, had their first child, Peter Christopher, on Christmas Day.