Loyola Gets Its Usual Bursts, Its Usual Victory, 139-110, Over St. Mary’s

Loyola Marymount, an explosion waiting to happen for much of the weekend, caught fire in the second half Saturday and burned St. Mary’s, 139-110.

The Lions, who looked sluggish and were soundly outrebounded in a victory over the University of San Francisco on Friday, trailed the Gaels midway through the first half. Loyola had one of its characteristic bursts late in the half and put the game out of reach with a decisive 75-58 second half.

The victory, before a McKeon Pavilion sellout crowd of 3,500, raised Loyola’s record to 19-4 overall and 10-0 in the West Coast Conference, where the Lions have a three-game lead over Pepperdine and San Diego with four games to play.

St. Mary’s (6-16, 3-7) was missing two starters due to injury and started a lineup averaging fewer points than Loyola’s Bo Kimble. Three St. Mary’s starters fouled out in the second half.

The Lions set McKeon Pavilion records for points in a game and in a half.

Kimble scored 33 points. Hank Gathers added 30 points and 13 rebounds. Terrell Lowery scored 23 points and Jeff Fryer had 19.

Gathers’ points tied him with former USF center Bill Cartwright for career scoring in conference games with 1,065 points.

Loyola controlled the rebounding, 71-49, and had 30 offensive rebounds.

“We were actually colliding with each other on some offensive rebounds,” Lion Coach Paul Westhead said. “That’s a good sign when that’s happening. And some of Hank’s rebounds, it’s a good thing they have a high ceiling here. When he goes after the ball with that kind of energy, it transmits to the whole team.”

Loyola built a 12-2 lead in the opening minutes, but St. Mary’s depleted lineup handled the ball well, with only seven first-half turnovers. The Gaels tied the game, 20-20, and took a 43-40 lead with 5:15 to play in the half when sophomore Andre Durity hit a three-pointer. The sophomore guard out of Fairfax High, a last-minute addition to the starting lineup, scored 20 points in the first half and finished with 22.

That seemed to awaken the Lions, who scored the next nine points and went on a 24-9 tear on the way to a 64-52 halftime lead. Kimble had 23 points the intermission.

St. Mary’s pulled to within nine in the second half, but the Lions got a 39-19 run in the next 8 1/2 minutes to put the game away. They led, 106-77, with 9:45 remaining.

“I thought our guys were playing pretty sharp from the beginning,” Westhead said. “I told the guys at halftime, even though it was close, we were playing well. I had no problems with our (early) performance. Credit St. Mary’s for keeping it close.”