Loyola will Face a Tough Test Against Rested Santa Barbara

On the heels of the shoot-out Thursday with U.S. International, the Loyola Marymount basketball team could get its toughest test since Nevada Las Vegas when UC Santa Barbara comes to town at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Santa Barbara, off to a 3-1 start and coming off a week’s rest, has found its way into some Top 20s and has lost only to Iowa at Iowa. The Gauchos’ victories include a 23-point manhandling of Pepperdine, a 17-point win over the University of San Diego and a 26-point blowout of Bradley. The loss to Iowa was by six points in the championship of the Amana Classic.

The Gauchos defeated Loyola a year ago in Santa Barbara, 95-94.

Lions guard Jeff Fryer is hoping to get medical clearance to play Saturday. His shooting hand, which has a broken bone, remains in a cast and will be re-examined today.

In his absence, Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble continue to carry the scoring load, averaging 29 and 27.5 points, and Coach Paul Westhead has gotten production from the bench. Supersub Tom Peabody has been filling in as the starter--as he did much of last season when Kimble was hurt--and Terrell Lowery is scoring in double figures and leading the conference in assists.

Up front, sophomore John O’Connell has earned Coach Paul Westhead’s respect, and when O’Connell injured an ankle last week sophomore center Chris Knight stepped up with his best performance at Loyola, scoring 12 points and hitting several clutch shots against Jacksonville.

Despite the ankle injury, O’Connell played a few minutes last weekend against Jacksonville and has practiced all week. “He was hurt badly enough to go to the hospital for X-rays, but before the game (the next day) he told me, ‘I’m ready to go,’ ” Westhead said of his fellow Philadelphia native, O’Connell. “Monday we had a hard two-hour practice and then ran some sprints, and he was the winner in his row in every sprint. It goes to show what determination can do. He’s an old-school player. He’s a Philly player from the late ‘60s, not the late ‘80s.”

Peabody and Lowery have been so steady off the bench that Westhead said the team doesn’t miss a beat with them in. “Lowery and Peabody have been excellent off the bench, but we expect that,” Westhead said. “It reminds me of two years ago when we had Fryer and Enoch Simmons coming off the bench.”

Santa Barbara, which gave UNLV a run for the Big West title two years ago and may do so again, has a veteran lineup featuring shot-blocking forward Eric MacArthur (12.9 points, 10.5 rebounds) and shooting guard Carrick DeHart (20.3 points, 54% on three-pointers). The other starters are forwards Lucius Davis and Gary Gray (15 points per game) and guard Paul Johnson. DeHart, the former Santa Monica High star, was named Big West Player of the Week after hitting a school-record eight three-pointers against Iowa.

Coach Jerry Pimm uses a nine-man rotation including freshman guard Idris Jones, the highest scorer off the bench (5.3).

The Loyola women will play Division II power Cal Poly Pomona at 5 p.m. Saturday, preceding the men’s game. The Loyola women, 2-2, lost two games last weekend in New York after opening the season with two victories at home.

Guards Kristen Bruich and Lynn Flanagan lead the Lions in scoring, combining for 27 points per game. Bruich averages 4.5 assists. Center Tricia Gibson is averaging 9.8 points and 8.3 rebounds.

Pomona, 4-0 entering the week, is led by 6-foot-2 All-American forward Niki Bracken (23.5 points, 9.3 rebounds), 6-1 center Marcine Edmonds and guard Carrie Egan. Point guard Stephanie Coons, 5-11, is averaging 13.5 points and 4.8 assists.