Loyola Makes History

For the first time in the program’s 23 seasons, the Loyola Marymount women’s basketball team will play in the NCAA tournament.

The Lions turned that longtime goal into reality Sunday by making a defensive stand in the final seconds to hold on for a 61-58 victory over Gonzaga in the championship game of the West Coast Conference tournament in front of 1,654 at the Leavey Center.

“The first day we started practice in October, even last spring, this is where we wanted to be,” senior forward Kate Murray said. “We’ve done everything in our power to get here.”

Murray led the Lions (24-5) with 19 points, and senior center Adrianne Slaughter, the tournament most valuable player, had 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Murray and sophomore guard Rachael Ziemann, who scored 10 points off the bench, were chosen for the all-tournament team.

Murray scored the last of her 13 second-half points by making one of two free throws to give Loyola Marymount a 61-58 lead with 17 seconds to play.

Gonzaga guard Shannon Mathews tossed up an airball on a drive to the basket, and the ball was deflected out of bounds to the Bulldogs with 4.6 seconds left.

Mathews got the inbounds pass near the sideline, but forward Mary Turner denied her a shot as time expired, securing the Lions’ 15th consecutive victory.

“I’d walk off the floor with two broken legs before I’d let her score on me,” Turner said.

Said Coach Julie Wilhoit: “For us to end on a defensive play sums up what our whole season has been about.”

Wilhoit praised her players for keeping their composure, even when she lost her cool near the end of the first half when Gonzaga (18-11) drew several fouls and went on a 9-1 run to make it 30-30 at halftime.

“They did even a better job than I did,” Wilhoit said. “At halftime, it was something that they taught me: ‘Just relax, Coach. We got this.’ ”