Loyola Wins on Smith’s Shot at Buzzer

Loyola Marymount Coach Paul Westhead knew there was something wrong during the first half of Saturday night’s West Coast Athletic Conference game against the University of San Diego.

Westhead’s usually reliable point guard, Keith Smith, was having an off-night. Smith, who leads the conference in scoring with a 24.0 average, hit just 2 of 8 shots in the first 20 minutes.

“I looked at the stat sheet and I was surprised,” Westhead said. “I told him to just keep shooting.”

Smith did just that. And it worked. He hit all seven of his shots in the second half, including a 20-foot jumper with one second remaining that gave the Lions a 72-70 win over the Toreros before 2,800 stunned fans in the USD Sports Center.

Smith’s dramatic basket climaxed a tremendous second half in which neither team led by more than two points until the final minutes. Two free throws by Mike Yoest, a jumper by Smith and another jumper by Forrest McKenzie gave Loyola a 70-64 lead with 1:29 remaining before USD staged an improbable comeback.

After Mark Bostic hit a shot from the lane, USD guard Pete Murphy forced two turnovers to set the Toreros up for the tie. Paul Leonard sneaked inside Loyola’s tight 2-3 zone defense for an off-balance jumper that made it 70-70 with 11 seconds left.

Smith, however, took the inbounds pass, raced the length of the court, made a 360-degree spin and put up his game-winning jumper from the top of the key.

“About the only thing he did wrong on that last shot was leave one second on the clock,” Westhead grinned. “Actually, I think it was appropriate that the game ended on a buzzer beater. Both teams played so well and so close.”

That was of little solace to USD afterward. The loss dropped the Toreros (4-2 in the conference, 14-6 overall) two games behind the Lions (6-0, 14-6) in conference play. USD will quickly have a chance for redemption, however, as the two teams will meet again Friday at Loyola.

Yoest scored 24 points, followed by Smith with 22 and McKenzie 20 with 20.