Fryer, Gathers Help Loyola Break Away : Their Shooting Gives Lions Fast-Paced Victory Over Gonzaga

Loyola Marymount, which had lost 17 of its 24 games with Gonzaga, including 14 of their 18 West Coast Athletic Conference meetings, used the shooting of guard Jeff Fryer and center Hank Gathers to beat the Bulldogs, 113-104, Friday night at Spokane, Wash.

Fryer, a 6-2 junior who scored a career-high 42 points in last Saturday’s 122-108 loss to DePaul, scored 37 points, and Gathers had 31 points and 13 rebounds as the Lions beat the Bulldogs for the third straight time.

The victory gave Loyola a 3-0 WCAC record and kept the Lions (9-6) in a 3-way tie for first place with Pepperdine and St. Mary’s.

Forward Jim McPhee had 34 points and 12 assists, both career highs, and guard Doug Spradley scored 26 points for Gonzaga (10-6, 1-2).

The game was tied nine times in the first half, which ended in a 49-49 tie. Loyola broke from a 63-63 tie midway through the second half with an 11-2 run and never trailed again, although Gonzaga pulled within 99-97 on Spradley’s 3-point shot with 4:21 left.

“We felt if we could keep the game at a fast pace, the game would go our way,” Loyola Coach Paul Westhead said. “Both teams played with a lot of intensity. Although there will be some people who won’t believe it, our pressure defense was a key factor.”

Westhead said that in addition to his scoring, Fryer came up with a key steal late in the game that led to a basket and a 108-99 lead.

“A year ago, all he was was a straight-up shooter,” Westhead said of Fryer. “With maturity, he now has those twists and turns that really give opponents a lot of trouble.”

Loyola, which makes an average of 9 3-point shots a game, was 8 of 26. For the season, the Lions, who have missed more 3-pointers than 5 of the other 7 WCAC schools have attempted, are 137 of 372. Fryer was good on 5 of his 15 3-point attempts. He leads the conference with 58 3-pointers.