Loyola Marymount Gains NCAA Berth With 104-96 Win

Loyola Marymount’s ready-for-prime-time players, appearing on national television for the first time, capped an unprecedented season here Monday night by winning the West Coast Athletic Conference tournament with a 104-96 victory over Santa Clara.

The Lions (27-3) won their 24th straight game, swept through the WCAC regular season and tournament and clinched a berth in the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. tournament. The Lions have not lost since mid-December.

Loyola’s Hank Gathers scored 24 points, 16 in the second half, and was named tournament MVP. The game was shown on ESPN, a first for the Lions, who lead the nation in scoring.

They responded by playing their best half in several weeks, after hanging even with the home-team Broncos for the first 20 minutes.

As has become their custom in recent games, the Lions fell behind early--trailing by as many as 10 points--39-29--midway through the first half, but Corey Gaines and Mike Yoest led a comeback that saw the Lions catch up, 47-47, and again 49-49.

Santa Clara, holding the ball for the last shot of the half, turned it over with six seconds left. Jeff Fryer intercepted a pass, went downcourt and hit a jumper as time ran out to give Loyola a 51-49 halftime lead.

Gaines had scored 17 of his 19 points, and Yoest 13 of his 23 in the half to keep the Lions close.

The Broncos, it turned out, had made their last stand before the raucous standing-room-only crowd of 5,000 at Toso Pavilion.

The Bo Show was a No Show in the first half as Bo Kimble shot only 2 for 15 for 5 points.

But Kimble came out firing in the second half, opening with two straight three-pointers from the top of the key.

With the press disrupting the Broncos’ in-bounds plays and leading to several steals, Loyola sped to a 73-58 lead to take control. The Lions forced 25 turnovers, 14 of them in the second half.

Kimble had 12 of his points in the scoring burst, and Gathers added 8. Two of Gathers’ baskets came on offensive rebounds. The Lions had trouble getting second shots in the first half but began asserting themselves against the tiring Broncos after intermission, finishing with 18 offensive rebounds.

Mark Armstrong, the unsung senior among the high-scoring Lions, led Loyola with 12 rebounds. Gaines had 12 assists.

Lion Coach Paul Westhead said he told Gathers at halftime that “we really needed him on the boards, that if he would zero in on that, it would help turn his game around. He did, and that relaxed him enough, he got his shooting rhythm going.” Gathers hit 7 of 9 shots in the second half.

Gaines hit 6 for 6 in the first half.

Westhead said his performance was “maybe his best game of the year for us.” Did he have any advice for Gaines at intermission? “I told him whatever he did in the first half, just repeat it.”

Westhead didn’t have to tell Kimble anything. He knows he’s got the green light. To show his confidence, Westhead noted, “You’ll notice we ran the first play (of the second half) to get him open up top.”

Kimble’s response was eight points in the first 1:45 of the half.

Santa Clara staged a rally to pull within 77-70, and later got as close as 100-94, but Loyola’s relentless pressure was so withering that, at one point, when center Dan Weiss hit a driving layup the Broncos were shooting 11 of 14 in the half--and were losing, 84-74.

Westhead, asked constantly throughout the tournament if his running team could play three strong games in three days, said: “I’m a fast-break coach, but I think the defense really turned it around. If anything, we got stronger.”

Weiss, a dominant factor when the teams met in conference play, looked tired and fouled out with only nine points and nearly five minutes left.

Free throws by Kimble put Loyola at the century mark for the 22nd time this season and gave Loyola the distinction of doubling as the only team to hit triple figures against Santa Clara this season. The Lions scored 108 in their game in Los Angeles.

Guard Jeffty Connelly led Santa Clara with 20 points and added 10 rebounds. Forward Jens Gordon and guard Osei Appiah had 18 points apiece.

Santa Clara (20-10) is hopeful of a National Invitation Tournament bid. Loyola is off for the week, awaiting Sunday’s call from the NCAA. Westhead said he wouldn’t mind opening the West Regional in Pauley Pavilion. But he won’t worry about it.

“Sometimes you hope for a green Chevrolet and get a blue Ford.”

Joining Gathers on the all-tournament team were Gaines and Kimble, Connelly and Pepperdine’s Tom Lewis and Levy Middlebrooks.