Fryer Heats Up Loyola Victory : College basketball: He is seven for seven on three-point attempts and scores 33 points on only 12 shots. Lions beat USF, 137-123.

As the least-publicized member of Loyola Marymount’s high-scoring senior trio, Jeff Fryer usually labors in the shadow of Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers.

Fryer came to the forefront here Friday night with an uncanny shooting exhibition and teamed with his fellow seniors to lead Loyola to a surprisingly hard-fought 137-123 victory over the University of San Francisco before a sellout crowd of 5,387 in Memorial Gymnasium.

Fryer hit all seven three-point attempts and finished with an amazing box score line: 33 points on 12 shots. Kimble led both sides with 37 points as Loyola improved to 18-4 overall and 9-0 in the West Coast Conference. USF fell to 7-15 and 3-6 despite a career-high 36 points by guard Shawn Sykes and 31 points by forward Joel DeBortoli.

The Lions took advantage of 51 free-throw attempts, converting 42, including 15 in a row by Kimble, who missed his last one to break a string of 31 in a row. Gathers, who scored 28 points, added 12 from the foul line.

The scrappy Dons, who lost to the Lions by 42 points in Los Angeles last week, erased most of a 15-point halftime deficit and were as close as six points with 4:27 to play before wearing down.

“We knew they would come out a different team (than last week),” Fryer said. “They were able to hang with us, and we have a problem sometimes getting up for league games. I’m trying to focus on getting up for games, and I’m a lot more aggressive (recently). I’m getting less shots this year, with the other guys scoring so much. My role is a little different. I’ve learned my role. I take what they give me.”

Led by Fryer, the Lions shot 44 for 65, 68% accuracy.

Loyola scored a relatively uneventful 79 points in the first half, if such a thing is possible, to lead at halftime, 79-64.

The Lions broke away to an early 24-12 lead with a 10-0 surge as Fryer hit his first four three-point attempts. Fryer had 22 points by halftime.

USF managed to trim the lead to four points several times, but with both teams shooting a multitude of free throws, Loyola took advantage in the latter minutes of the half to build its advantage. Kimble hit all eight of his free throws in the first half on the way to 20 points and the Lions shot 23 for 28 from the line by halftime. The Lions also shot 67% from the floor in the half.

USF stayed close in the first half by shooting 19 for 22 from the line, and was 30 for 38 overall.

The Dons quickly trimmed the lead to six points early in the second half. Loyola rebuilt a 97-82 lead, but USF continued to chip away and pulled to within 102-97 on a drive by Sykes with nine minutes to play.

The Dons kept it close until the final minutes, when Kevin Ellis and Scott McWhorter, who scored 24 points, fouled out and the Lions remained nearly perfect at the line.

USF committed 27 turnovers in the game, only nine in the second half. The Dons also controlled the boards, taking a 39-29 rebounding edge.

“The second half we stayed more under control,” said Don Coach Jim Brovelli. “But you lose your concentration for a second, you relax or hurry, they take advantage. They’re a tough team to defense--you have to come out on Fryer and (Terrell) Lowery, and that opens it up for the other guys inside.”