Loyola and Pepperdine Survive, Meet in WCAC Semifinals : Gonzaga Dogs Lions to the End but Loses, 101-98

Loyola Marymount dodged a Bulldog Saturday night and advanced to today’s semifinals in the West Coast Athletic Conference Tournament here with a 101-98 victory over Gonzaga.

In a near carbon-copy of Pepperdine’s earlier game, Loyola built a quick early lead, fell behind by halftime, dropped behind by 10 points early in the second half, then used its press to stage a comeback.

Loyola (18-10) didn’t take the lead for good until Jeff Fryer broke a 91-91 tie on a three-pointer with 3:15 left. Fryer’s free throws with six seconds to play provided the final margin, but the game wasn’t secure until Bret Holmdahl’s halfcourt heave bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

The victory sent Loyola into the 5 p.m. semifinal against Pepperdine.

Gonzaga (14-14) did nearly everything right but win. The Bulldogs made 67% of their shots, tying a tournament record, stymied the Lions’ outside shooting combo of Fryer and Bo Kimble (a combined seven for 28, 25 points) and made five of six from three-point range.

But Loyola’s scrambling press forced 22 turnovers, and the Lions got an unexpected boost from forward Per Stumer, who tied a tournament record with six three-pointers on the way to 21 points. Hank Gathers, who started slowly, finished with 31 points (23 in the second half) and 12 rebounds.

Enoch Simmons added 18 points and Tom Peabody, who keyed the press, tied another tournament record with five steals.

“It was a tough game to win and a tough one to lose,” Gonzaga Coach Dan Fitzgerald said. “We found a way to play them all three times (this season), but we didn’t take as good care of the ball, and that hurt us.”

After an early 16-6 burst by Loyola, Gonzaga dictated much of the half and had a 49-43 lead at the break.

Gonzaga, led by Jim McPhee’s 16 first-half points, caught Loyola with 8:25 left, taking a 25-24 lead on center Todd Franklin’s dunk. After Loyola went ahead, 43-42, the Bulldogs ran off the last seven points of the half.

They continued to build on the lead after halftime, stretching it to 67-57 with 15:51 left. It was then that Loyola increased the intensity of its press, and Gathers scored nine points as Loyola finally caught up, 82-82, with 6:32 left.

Loyola built a 98-92 lead on Gathers’ dunk with 1:29 left, but Gonzaga’s Doug Spradley hit two three-pointers in the final minute. His last one, with 17 seconds left, made it 99-98 before Fryer hit the crucial free throws. Spradley and McPhee each scored 27 points.

“They put pressure on us to either back off or rev it up (defensively),” Loyola Coach Paul Westhead said. “We don’t ever back down. Peabody ignited us.”