Pepperdine, Loyola Face Northern Foes This Weekend

Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, tied for first place with 8-1 records in the West Coast Athletic Conference, will try to fatten up on teams from the North this week and next in anticipation of one more showdown.

Last week, the Waves (20-4) beat the Lions (16-7) at Loyola’s Gersten Pavilion, 79-64, and held the WCAC’s top two scorers, Keith Smith and Forrest McKenzie to 14 points apiece. Smith had been averaging 22.6 points and McKenzie 19.6. Pepperdine’s sixth man, Grant Gondrezick, played 20 minutes and scored a game-high 19 points.

This weekend, both teams will play host to Portland (3-6 in the WCAC and 12-11 overall) and Gonzaga (4-5, 11-12). Pepperdine will play Portland tonight and Gonzaga on Saturday night, and the Lions will reverse that procedure. Starting time for all games is 7:30.

Next weekend, Pepperdine and Loyola will be on the road against San Francisco and Santa Clara, then will meet again in the WCAC finale March 5 at Pepperdine’s Firestone Fieldhouse.

Portland could be the most troublesome northern team for the conference leaders. The Pilots have already given Loyola trouble, beating the Lions in the Wolfpack tournament at Nevada Reno, 77-56. But Loyola won the rematch in a conference game at Portland, 66-55.

Coach Jack Avina’s Pilots were tough on their home court against Pepperdine in January. The Waves trailed the Pilots, 50-48, with less than six minutes left but made their free throws down the stretch to pull it out, 60-55.

Gonzaga (4-5 and 11-12) has lost six in a row to the Waves, most recently at Spokane, 79-67. The Bulldogs also lost at home to Loyola, 66-54, but are coming off a 63-62 overtime victory over Portland at Gonzaga.