Lowery, Loyola Lose Control at End, 70-64

Santa Clara took advantage of Loyola Marymount’s poor play in the final five minutes Saturday night to rally for a 70-64 West Coast Conference victory before 2,391 at Gersten Pavilion.

Loyola led most of the game and by as many as eight points early in the second half, but the Lions were outscored, 12-4, in the final 4:42 as second-place Santa Clara improved to 6-2 in the WCC and 10-11 overall.

It was an especially tough night for Loyola guard Terrell Lowery, one of the nation’s leading scorers. He finished with 13 points, 14 under his average, made only five of 13 shots and committed seven turnovers.

“It was one of those games that was hard to explain,” said Lowery, who failed to hit the rim on three shots in the last three minutes. “I think our lapses allowed them to get back in the game. We didn’t put them away like we should have.”

Santa Clara’s deliberate offense helped hold Loyola (11-10, 4-5) to its lowest point total in nine WCC games. The loss ended the Lions’ three-game win streak.

“I thought we did a great job controlling the tempo,” said Santa Clara Coach Carroll Williams, whose team shot 62.5% in the second half.

The Broncos took the lead for good at 64-62 with 58 seconds left on a follow shot by 7-foot-1, 285-pound center Ron Reis, who had game-high totals of 26 points and 11 rebounds. On Loyola’s next two possessions, Lowery shot an air ball and had the ball stolen.

“When we had a chance to control the game, we didn’t,” Loyola Coach Jay Hillock said. “I think rebounding hurt us and we turned the ball over way too much in the second half.”