Virginia Overpowers Loyola Marymount

Forward Sherman Gay and Loyola Marymount gave Virginia perhaps more of a battle than the Cavaliers expected in the first half of Friday night’s game at Gersten Pavilion.

Then Virginia gave Loyola Marymount a dose of Atlantic Coast Conference basketball, punishing the Lions inside to win, 76-68, in front of an estimated 1,200.

“The ballgame was won and lost on the glass,” said Loyola Marymount Coach Steve Aggers about Virginia’s 48-39 edge in rebounding.

“I thought the first three minutes of the second half, I thought the Virginia team was more intense than our team and they set the tempo for the remainder of the half.”

Virginia is 7-0 for the second time in three seasons. The Cavaliers’ Elton Brown, a 6-foot-9 junior, and Derrick Byars, a 6-8 sophomore, each finished with 21 points.

Virginia, playing Loyola Marymount for the first time, started fast in taking a 9-0 lead. But the Cavaliers were unable to maintain control against the Lions (6-3), who rallied behind Gay. He had 15 first-half points and grabbed six rebounds, including four offensive, as Loyola Marymount methodically erased Virginia’ lead.

The Lions led, 39-35, at halftime despite being outrebounded, 28-23.

In the second half, neither team was able to open a sizable lead until Loyola Marymount’s big men, Chris Ayer and Jason Dickens, picked up their fourth fouls with the Lions ahead by four points.

Without much resistance inside, Brown and Byars took over as they sparked a 15-5 Virginia run midway into the second half. Then Cavalier freshman Gary Forbes scored seven consecutive points to help the Cavaliers take a 67-54 lead with less than seven minutes left.

Gay finished with 21 points and seven rebounds, and Keith Kincade had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Lions, who shot 38% from the field.

-- Lonnie White

Utah 73, Cal State Northridge 57 -- Nick Jacobson scored 22 points and Andrew Bogut had 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Utes cruised to victory at Salt Lake City.

Richard Chaney also had 18 points for the Utah (7-3). The Utes pulled away in the second half with 64% shooting and improved to 6-0 at home.

The Matadors (2-4) did not have a field goal in the last four and a half minutes and lost to Utah for the sixth time in a row.

Davin White and Thomas Shewmake scored 12 points apiece for Cal State North- ridge.

White made two free throws to cut Utah’s lead to 55-53 with 6:12 left, but the Utes responded with a 12-2 run over the next four minutes.