GAME NOTES: The semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center pits the Loyola Marymount Lions against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Tuesday night.

The Lions, now on the loser's side of the tournament bracket, are suffering through a five-game slide at the moment and have a total of just three wins in 10 opportunities. The team was throttled by nationally-ranked Wichita State in the first game of this event on Monday, 80-53.

As for the Cornhuskers, a team which recently suffered a stunning defeat versus Incarnate Word (74-73) at home, they have now fallen in three of the last four contests, save for a narrow 56-55 double-overtime win versus Cincinnati back on Dec. 13. In Monday's action the team was taken out by host Hawaii, 66-58.

Nebraska won the only previous meeting between the programs back in 1980 by a score of 67-66, also played on a neutral floor in the month of December.

Both teams will be back in action on Christmas day in the championship round.

The Lions failed to drain a single 3-pointer and also turned the ball over 16 times, giving them little chance of competing with the 11th-ranked team in the nation on Monday. The team made a total of just eight field goals in the first half and trailed by 14 points 20 minutes into the meeting and never recovered as the Shockers led from start to finish.

Evan Payne, who knocked down all but one of his 10 free-throw tries, was responsible for a game-high 15 points, followed by Ayodeji Egbeyemi with 13 points and a team-best four rebounds, as the squad was handled on the glass rather easily, 32-19.

Payne, responsible for converting 18 of his team's 50 3-point baskets to this point, is the lone double-digit scorer for the squad after 10 games with his 21.0 ppg, even though he has come off the bench in almost half of those outings. More than one-fourth of his points have come at the free-throw line where he has converted 60-of-74 (.811), which means the rest of the roster has combined to make a total of only 74 free-throws entering play on Tuesday.

In a game that featured five ties and six lead changes, Nebraska made a total of only seven field goals in the first half against the Rainbow Warriors, trailed by double figures at the break and never fully recovered. Granted, the Huskers did respond with 56.5 percent accuracy from the floor after intermission, but by then it was too late.

Except for David Rivers who tallied only two points in 26 minutes, every starter for the visitors hit for double figures, beginning with Terran Petteway with 14 points and continuing with Benny Parker and Shavon Shields who both tallied 12. Walter Pitchford recorded a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, but still the team could not overcome 18 turnovers and just 13-of-23 shooting at the free-throw line.

On a team that is generating 69.1 ppg, the majority of those points are coming from just two sources, Petteway and Shields, who are averaging 19.2 and 17.1 ppg, respectively. Petteway is the best 3-point shooter the Huskers have at the moment, accounting for 22 of the unit's 69 conversions, while Shields does his business on the interior by clearing 7.3 rpg.

Nebraska may be a recognized name in college sports, more so than LMU, but at the moment the basketball program for the Huskers is not living up to expectations, which leaves the door open for a potential win for the Lions.