Offensive Woes Plague Loyola Again

Loyola Marymount Coach Jay Hillock feared the Lions couldn’t score in the manner in which they had been accustomed.

He was right.

The Lions lost their second consecutive West Coast Conference home game Saturday, 98-90, to the University of San Diego before 2,596.

The loss marked their first 0-2 start in the WCC since 1986-87 and dropped them to 6-10. San Diego improved to 9-6 and 2-1.

More distressing to Hillock is the way the Lions are losing. On both nights, Loyola wore down--or broke down--in the second half.

“We’re really having some bad second halves,” Hillock said. “It’s mainly offensive. We have some problems, and I don’t know if they’re solvable at this point.”

Terrell Lowery led the Lions with 22 points but scored eight in the final minute when San Diego was coasting with a double-figure lead. Richard Petruska added 19 points and 15 rebounds and John O’Connell 13 points for the Lions.

They were outshone by forward Anthony Thomas, who scored a career-high 25 points for the Toreros, and center Dondi Bell, who finished with 15 points.

After four lead changes and a tie in the opening minutes of the second half, Bell and Thomas took over for San Diego, combining for 14 points as the Toreros went on a 21-10 run to build a 71-62 lead.