Lions Are Easy Winners, 83-51

As a morale booster, it was a dandy. As a barometer to gauge his team’s ability, it wasn’t much for Loyola Marymount Coach John Olive to go on.

But, hey, it’s a start.

The Lions had no trouble against outclassed Seattle and coasted to an 83-51 nonconference victory in their season opener Saturday night before 1,405 at Gersten Pavilion.

“This is a young basketball team and I wanted to give those kids some confidence,” Olive said. “How our young kids go will determine how our team goes.”

The going is good, so far.

Loyola Marymount already had won two exhibition games before routing Seattle (2-2), an NAIA team. They’ve done it with a roster that features three returning starters plus a host of inexperienced players.

One newcomer, redshirt sophomore center Peter Cornell, scored 12 points on six-of-six shooting from the field. Sophomore guard Julian Hammond led the Lions with a career-high 13 points.

The Lions jumped to a 40-11 halftime lead as the Chieftains failed to score for nearly eight minutes. They outshot Seattle, 48.5% (32 of 66) to 30.4% (21 of 69), and controlled the boards, 55-41.

Forward Ben Ammerman had nine rebounds for the Lions to tie his single-game high and center Kenny Hotopp scored 11 points.

It was the second-fewest points allowed by the Lions at Gersten Pavilion. The previous low came in an 82-43 victory over Los Angeles Baptist in the 1984-85 season opener.