Gonzaga Slows, Can’t Stop Loyola : Lions: Victory over Bulldogs, 99-88, results in three-game lead in WCC race, hints of first-round tournament disparity.

If things stay the same in the West Coast Conference basketball race, Gonzaga will face Loyola Marymount in the first round of the WCC tournament in early March.

That’s not a pleasant prospect for the Bulldogs, who lost to Loyola Marymount on Saturday night, 99-88, before a standing room crowd of 4,143.

Despite playing a competitive game against the Lions after losing to them by 44 points last week, Gonzaga (6-13 overall, 1-5 in the WCC) fell deeper into the conference cellar. Loyola (15-3, 6-0) took a three-game lead in the conference. In the WCC tournament, the first-place team opens against the last place team.

Loyola played a fitful game and Gonzaga effectively milked the clock. But 31 points apiece from Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble and 57% shooting--including 20 of 31 in the second half--lifted the Lions despite a 42-point, 18-of-25 performance by Gonzaga’s Jim McPhee. That tied his career high--accomplished last week against Loyola.

Gathers hit 15 of 19 shots. Per Stumer led the Lions with eight rebounds and added 10 points.

“McPhee was outstanding. He did a great job,” Loyola Coach Paul Westhead said. “To be honest, my team was very flat-footed. The pace of the game wasn’t to our liking. If we got a break at all, (Gonzaga) might’ve tired a little bit. Not like in past (games), because the pace wasn’t so fast, but around the seven- or eight-minute mark I think there was some tiredness setting in.”

Gonzaga stayed close for most of the first half as McPhee scored 23 points. Loyola used an 8-0 run midway through the half to build a 41-30 lead, but Gonzaga whittled it to three. Loyola settled for a 48-43 lead at halftime in one of its lowest scoring halves of the season. Gathers had 21 points and Kimble 13 at that point.

Loyola built another 13-point lead early in the second half but saw most of that evaporate, with McPhee leading again as the Bulldogs pulled to within 74-71 on a McPhee follow-up, his 36th point. But that was Gonzaga’s last gasp.

The Bulldogs wilted under Loyola’s pressure, and the Lions steadily pulled away in the last six minutes, with Kimble scoring 11 points in a 16-5 run. The Lions’ biggest lead was 14 points in the closing minutes.

This was only the third time Loyola has failed to score triple figures in a game this season. “It was one of those days the whole team was under the weather,” said Kimble, who was nursing a cold and a sore neck. “We really didn’t get a chance to get a good run like we usually do. We were a lot slower and flat-footed than usual. We didn’t seem together today.”

Unless Gonzaga can make some headway in the WCC, it appears these teams are headed for a third encounter in March.

“If it happens, we’ll be the best we’re gonna be. We’ll be trying to gain momentum for the NCAA Tournament then,” Kimble said.