WCAC Roundup : 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, running their overall record to 20-4, showed up the Lions, winning at Loyola’s Gersten Pavilion, 79-64, and holding 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 as Loyola dropped to 16-7 overall.

This weekend, both teams will play host to Portland (3-6 in the WCAC and 12-11 overall) and Gonzaga (4-5 and 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.

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 lost to the Waves, 79-67, and to the Lions, 66-54, earlier this season at Spokane, Wash.