Lions Quickly Serve Notice, 113-100 : Loyola: Kimble scores 35, Gathers adds 22 as team rolls over Santa Clara in WCC opener.

Fears throughout the West Coast Conference that Loyola Marymount might be ahead of the field weren’t allayed Thursday night when the Lions won their conference opener here, 113-100.

Before a standing-room crowd of 5,000 in Toso Pavilion, Loyola put the spurs to the Broncos quickly. The Lions built leads that reached 21 points before halftime and 25 in the second half before the starters were pulled.

Equally unsettling for opponents had to be the return to form of the Hank and Bo Show. Bo Kimble scored 35 points and Hank Gathers added 22, with a number of thundering dunks in a performance that included 12 rebounds. Jeff Fryer had 20 points, Per Stumer 15 and Terrell Lowery 11 for the Lions.

Loyola forced 28 Santa Clara turnovers and had nine three-point baskets to the Broncos’ four.

Santa Clara 7-foot sophomore Ron Reis scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Broncos, who lost their second consecutive WCC game and fell to 3-11, their worst start. Jeffty Connelly added 19 points.

Loyola (10-3, 1-0) scored the first five points of the second half and cruised the rest of the way despite playing sloppily. Things reached a low for Santa Clara when the Broncos missed five shots on one possession, then lost starters Melvin Chinn and Nils Becker to fouls with more than 10 minutes remaining. Two minutes later, with Loyola leading by 25, another Bronco starter, Lacoby Phillips, left with an ankle injury.

With Kimble scoring nine quick points, Loyola opened a 19-9 lead. Santa Clara pulled to within four, but Loyola ran off 14 in a row to build a 32-14 lead.

After the Broncos cut the lead to 32-22, Gathers scored four consecutive points and Kimble added two baskets and a pair of free throws. Then he went outside to hit two long three-point shots and Loyola built a 56-35 lead.

Santa Clara cut into it in the final minute of the half but trailed, 56-42, at the break. Kimble had 23 points and Gathers 14 with nine rebounds by then. The Broncos didn’t help themselves by shooting only five for 14 from the foul line in the period.

Loyola, which has had trouble scoring 100 points against Santa Clara, hit triple figures with 5:15 left.

“Today wasn’t one of our best best days. We can play a lot better. Coach (Paul Westhead) is unhappy the way we played in the second half,” Kimble said. “If we play well, nobody (in the WCC) should beat us. We’re our own worst enemies.”