Hoops Made Here

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Confession: I’m a quarters person.

Not the kind you drop in a parking meter (though… we’ve all been there). I mean the way women’s college basketball is played: four 10-minute quarters. The men play two 20-minute halves, and I love that game too — but quarters give you four mini-cliffhangers, four urgency spikes, and more end-of-quarter chaos.

And chaos is where buzzer shots live.

Which brings me to this: LMU women’s basketball is heading to Las Vegas as the No. 1 seed in the West Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Championship. This is not a “nice season” story — it’s history in the making, with a very real opportunity to do something legendary.

The Quick Setup

The WCC Tournament runs March 5–10 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Lions earned the top seed and a bye straight to the semifinals.

Here’s the part you should circle, bold, highlight, and text to the group chat:

Semifinal: Monday, March 9 — noon (ESPN+)
Championship: Tuesday, March 10 — 1 p.m. PT (ESPN2)

Why this season already belongs in the LMU record book

Let’s zoom out for one second.

• 21 wins (tied for the second-most in program history)
• 15–3 in conference (a program record for conference wins)
• Nine straight wins (longest since the 2003–04 championship run)
• Picked ninth in the preseason poll … and finished first

That’s not just progress: that’s how heroes are made.

And yes — the regular-season title was clinched in appropriately dramatic fashion: overtime, high stakes, and a last-second moment that felt like it was scripted by someone who really likes March.

And the conference noticed

This week, the WCC announced its major awards and All-Conference teams — and LMU dominated:

• Aarika Hughes — WCC Coach of the Year
• Jess Lawson — WCC Newcomer of the Year + All-WCC First Team
• Maya Hernandez — All-WCC First Team
• Andjela Matic — All-WCC Second Team

Translation: when the league’s head coaches vote, and this is what they decide … that’s a signal.

Also worth noting (because history matters): LMU has only had one other Coach of the Year winner before Hughes across the decades. Hughes now joins Coach Julie Wilhoit, who was honored with the WCC’s Coach of the Year award three times — 2000, 2001, and 2004.

What makes this team a problem (for everyone else, that is)

If you’ve watched this group even once, you already know: this is not a “hope you miss” defense; it’s a make-you-uncomfortable defense.

A few numbers that tell the story:

• LMU scores 71.1 points per game
• Holds opponents to 62.6 points per game
• Forces 19.0 turnovers per game
• Turns those turnovers into 20.2 points per game (that’s a lot of bonus offense)
• Averages 9.9 steals per game

That’s pressure. That’s pace. That’s a team that doesn’t wait for momentum — they make momentum.

And if you’re wondering whether women’s basketball is more teamwork-driven, here’s a fun supporting data point: the WCC ranks among the nation’s better leagues in assists per game, and LMU itself averages 14.4 assists per game.

That’s ball movement. That’s chemistry. That’s trust.

Players you’ll be glad you know before Vegas

This entire team is worth knowing, and if you’re new to the bandwagon, we saved you a seat.

• Jess Lawson (#0) — 14.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg (and plays like the moment is never too big)
• Maya Hernandez (#55) — 14.6 ppg (interior strength + consistency)
• Andjela Matic (#28) — 10.7 ppg (shot-maker, big-moment résumé, and yes … that three)
• Carly Heidger (#5) — 8.0 ppg, steady and reliable (the kind of guard every coach wants running the floor)

And we know teams this good are truly a team effort, so the rest of the roster deserves its due, too: Ivana Krajina (#13) has been a steady playmaker at 5.6 points, 2.9 assists, and 1.2 steals a game; Paula Reus Piza (#30) adds 5.1 points and 3.2 rebounds; Kayla Jones (#24) chips in 4.7 points while shooting 52.6% from the field; Allison Clarke (#4) contributes 4.5 points and 1.3 steals; and Zawadi Ogot (#54) brings 4.1 points on 50.0% shooting. Ana Milanovic (#7), Mari Somvichian (#2), and Lova Lagerlid (#10) have all provided minutes off the bench this season, and redshirt sophomore forward Ali’a Matavao (#22) — a Las Vegas native — gives the Lions one more hometown connection as they head into Vegas.

Personal note

I love women’s basketball. I love men’s basketball.

I grew up in the era of the Showtime Lakers — Magic, Kareem, and the legends who redefined the game. And then Michael Jordan — enough said. Back then, the Lakers and visiting NBA teams practiced at LMU when we were just down the street from the Great Western Forum, so Gersten Pavilion regularly hosted some of the greatest players on the planet.

Then life gave me another basketball chapter.

For many years, I was a basketball dad. My oldest daughter played relentlessly — elementary school, high school, and a competitive club team stacked with some of the best players and coaches in the region. She was a center and played with heart, toughness, and joy.

I’ll never forget those years.

Watching her practices. Seeing James Worthy occasionally stop by to offer pointers. Sitting on the sidelines with another basketball dad — our dearly missed Kobe Bryant — watching our daughters compete and quietly realizing how small the basketball world can be. Accompanying her to extra training sessions with her G-League trainer down the street before the next game.

Basketball was our family rhythm.

Around that same time — nearly a decade ago now — I was invited to serve as an honorary coach for LMU women’s basketball.

What an honor.

They even let me bring my daughters into the locker room before the game so they could hear how the team framed the moment — the focus, the preparation, the intensity. It left a real impression on all of us.

Ever since then, I’ve had even more respect for the way this program competes.

And then came Aarika Hughes.

She knows better than anyone that building a championship program is rarely a straight line. But she persisted. And persisted.

When you watch her coach, you see calm. Precision. Discipline. And she understands a fundamental truth about building a fan base:

Winning matters. Turns out nothing builds a fan base faster than the sound of a net snapping.

It’s not simple. But it’s true. And right now, this team has earned our attention.

I grew up in an all-boys family watching some of the greatest basketball ever played. Then I had the honor of raising daughters in a house where women’s basketball became part of our DNA.

Which is probably why those four quarters feel so perfect to me.

They’re built-in comeback opportunities.

And comebacks may be the most entertaining thing in sports.

What you can do this week

Here are three simple ways to help this team feel LMU behind them:

Show up (Vegas).
If you can get to Orleans Arena, do it. March basketball in Vegas is a vibe.

Watch + recruit viewers.
ESPN+ for the semifinals. ESPN2 for the championship. Put it on a screen — any screen.

Send them off the right way. Gather on Friday, March 6, at 11:15 a.m. at the Hank Gathers statue as we send the Lions to Vegas with a proper LMU celebration.

Before I close, I also want to cheer on Coach Stan Johnson and the LMU men’s basketball team tonight. And congrats to three MBB Lions — Myron “MJ” Amey Jr., Rodney Brown Jr., and Jalen Shelley — whom the WCC’s 12 head coaches voted to the 2026 All-Conference Honorable Mention Team. The Lions open the WCC Men’s Basketball Championship as the No. 10 seed against No. 11 San Diego at 8:30 p.m. PT at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, and the game will stream on ESPN+. LMU swept the Toreros in both February games, so there’s a little recent history here — and if the Lions win, they’ll be back on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. PT for the second round against Seattle U. Same arena, same March energy, same request from me: let’s bring some noise for the men, too.

Final thought

No matter what happens in the tournament, the postseason picture becomes official on Selection Sunday — March 15 at 5 p.m. on ESPN.

But one thing is already clear:

LMU women’s basketball didn’t stumble into a top seed.

They earned it — possession by possession, swish by swish, quarter by quarter.

Now it’s time for the rest of us to do our part.

Clear your calendar.
Wear your LMU pride gear.
Bring the roar.

Hope, made here. Hoops, made here.

See you in Vegas (or on ESPN+/ESPN2).

—John

All in, all season with LMU Athletics, follow @themanezone and @lmulions.

P.S. Before the big games begin, get to know Coach Hughes and the Lions with this great video posted earlier this season.