Loyola Shown No Mercy, 81-65

Loyola Marymount Coach John Olive knew it was coming but could do little to stop it.

The Lions, clearly in over their heads, were routed by Xavier, 81-65, in a nonconference game Thursday night before 1,821 at Gersten Pavilion.

Xavier (5-0), ranked 23rd in the nation, was hardly challenged by the Lions (2-3), who were out of the game virtually from the start.

“Hopefully, that’s the best team we play all [season],” Olive said. “We knew exactly what they would do [but] you can’t assimilate that kind of pressure in practice.”

The Musketeers showcased their superiority quickly by jumping to a 9-0 lead before forward Ben Ammerman put Loyola Marymount on the board with a three-point basket nearly four minutes into the game.

They stretched the advantage to 43-28 at the half and led by as many as 25 points in the second half.

Loyola Marymount couldn’t penetrate Xavier’s full-court press and had problems stopping the Musketeer fastbreak. Xavier worked the ball inside effectively, settling for outside shots only when absolutely necessary.

The Musketeers also controlled the boards, finishing with a 42-26 rebounding edge.

Point guard Gary Lumpkin led all scorers with 24 points, driving to the basket often and sinking layups or pulling up for short jumpers.

The Lions handled Xavier’s press better in the second half and even pressured the ball themselves on defense, but it wasn’t enough.

“I challenged the kids at halftime to come out in the second half and compete and show character, and I thought we did,” Olive said.

Ammerman, the Lions’ top scorer this season with a 17-point average, paced his team with 14 points.

Xavier, which upset then-No. 1 Cincinnati earlier this season, got 17 points from guard Lenny Brown and 12 points from forward James Posey.

Loyola Marymount outshot Xavier 51.9% (27 for 52) to 43.1% (28 for 65) but the Muskeeters converted 16 of 22 free throws to the Lions’ five for seven.