Oregon State Seeks Season Sweep of Loyola Marymount

LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — The Oregon State Beavers and Loyola Marymount Lions, two teams seeking consistency in the second half of the season, will meet for the second time in three weeks Wednesday night at Gersten Pavilion.

Oregon State (10-12) earned a 76-70 home victory over Loyola Marymount on Jan. 14. The Beavers have since lost three straight, including a 51-81 defeat at Saint Mary’s last Wednesday. Loyola Marymount (11-11) has also struggled, dropping its last four games following that loss in Corvallis, most recently a 59-69 decision at Seattle.

The rematch features a key backcourt matchup between Oregon State’s Josiah Lake and Loyola Marymount’s Myron Amey. Lake, the Beavers’ dynamic guard, scored 21 points in the first meeting and is coming off a 17-point effort at Saint Mary’s. He has averaged 34 minutes per game over his last eight contests.

Amey led the Lions with 18 points in the Jan. 14 loss and matched that output at Seattle last week. His scoring will be crucial for a Lions offense that has been held under 60 points in three of its last four games.

Both teams enter the contest with identical 1-4 records in their last five games. Oregon State’s road victory earlier this month provides a psychological edge, but the Beavers are 2-7 away from home this season. Loyola Marymount will look to defend its home court, where it is 7-4.

The game is part of a tight middle tier in the West Coast Conference standings. Following Wednesday’s matchup, Oregon State travels to face San Diego on Saturday. Loyola Marymount remains at home to host Santa Clara this weekend.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.