Loyola Comes Home, Halts Its Losing Streak

After Loyola Marymount opened West Coast Conference play with three road losses, the last two by a total of three points, Coach Jay Hillock said the Lions needed to fight through an “unlucky period.”

Friday night, Loyola changed its luck by leaving nothing to chance.

The Lions ended a four-game losing streak by defeating St. Mary’s, 84-67, before 2,389 at Gersten Pavilion.

“I’m happy for the kids,” said Hillock, whose team suffered last-minute defeats at Portland and Gonzaga last weekend. “They’ve been a little bit unlucky. Now if they play hard and play together, they can have a little luck themselves.”

Playing at home for the first time in six games, Loyola (8-8 overall, 1-3 in conference) made its move after St. Mary’s (11-8, 2-2) had pulled to 65-62 with eight minutes to play.

The Lions responded by forcing several turnovers to close with a 19-5 surge. A three-point play by Loyola guard Terrell Lowery, who led all scorers with 31 points, and a breakaway layup by forward Rahim Harris, who had 15 points, made the score 82-67 with 1:51 to play. The back-to-back plays came after St. Mary’s turnovers.

“We were down by three and the momentum was in our favor,” St. Mary’s Coach Ernie Kent said. “That’s when you have to get tough mentally, and we didn’t take care of the basketball.

“This is a league where it’s tough to win on the road. Our style of play will keep us in games as long as we take care of the ball.”

St. Mary’s entered Friday night’s game leading the conference in team defense, giving up an average of 64.7 points. But the Gaels couldn’t contain Loyola, the conference’s top-scoring team.

Hillock said Loyola benefited from playing at home for the first time since Dec. 30. The Lions shot 57%, including 62.5% in the second half, and outrebounded St. Mary’s, 31-25. Moreover, they forced 19 turnovers, compared to committing only 14.

Center Eric Bamberger led St. Mary’s with 20 points.

The Lions will play host to the University of San Francisco (8-9, 0-4) tonight.