Loyola Can’t Stop Gonzaga

Ronny Turiaf was back in top form on his 22nd birthday, and J.P. Batista took full advantage of his first start for Gonzaga.

Batista, a junior college transfer, scored 17 points, and Turiaf had 16 to help the No. 16 Bulldogs beat Loyola Marymount, 76-65, on Thursday night at Spokane, Wash.

Gonzaga, 12-3 overall and 2-1 in the West Coast Conference, rebounded from a loss Saturday night at St. Mary’s, the Bulldogs’ first conference loss in two years.

Turiaf also rebounded after averaging six points in his last three games.

“He’s back,” Coach Mark Few said. “That was the old Ronny. He was bouncing around, he played with confidence and played with fire. He was really solid tonight.”

After trailing 40-27 at halftime, the Lions (9-7, 1-2) roared back to cut it to 58-57 with about six minutes left. But the Bulldogs managed to clamp down on defense, outscoring the Lions, 18-8, the rest of the way.

Loyola shot only 39% in the game and was three for 19 from three-point range.

“With Batista and Turiaf in the paint, that forces you to take perimeter shots,” Loyola Coach Steve Aggers said.

Aggers was proud that his team played Gonzaga tough in a place where they have lost 14 straight since 1991.

Few started Batista in place of sophomore Sean Mallon as a reward for Batista’s strong recent play. As a bonus, Mallon also played well off the bench, scoring 13 points.

Associated Press

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Cal State Northridge 67, Idaho 63 -- Ian Boylan’s three-point play off a feed from Calvin Chitwood with 25 seconds left helped lift the Matadors to a comeback victory at the Matadome.

After Boylan made the free throw to complete the three-point play and give Northridge a 65-63 lead, Vandal guard Jerod Haynes missed a runner in the lane and forward Armend Kahrimanovic misfired on a wild putback attempt. Matador forward Jonathan Heard grabbed the rebound and was fouled with seven seconds left.

The freshman guard made both free throws to set the final margin for Northridge (7-7, 5-1 in the Big West), The Matadors have won five consecutive games to move into second place in the Big West behind Pacific.

“For two or three years we haven’t won a game like that,” Northridge Coach Bobby Braswell said. “This was a great experience for this team.”

The Matadors appeared headed for defeat when they trailed, 59-51, with seven minutes left.

Boylan, who finished with a team-high 18 points, had a chance to tie the score when he stepped to the line for two free throws with 34 seconds left. He made the first and missed the second, and after Northridge knocked the ball out of bounds, Idaho (5-10, 3-1) had possession and a 63-62 lead.

But Vandal forward Anton Lyons slipped on the ensuing inbounds play and the ball went off his leg, giving possession to the Matadors and setting up Boylan’s winning play.

“I knew he was going to come through for us like he did tonight because he does it in practice,” Heard said.

“We knew we had to step up and make big plays.”

Ben Bolch

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Portland 81, Pepperdine 71 -- Pooh Jeter scored 15 points and Donald Wilson added 14 at Portland, Ore., as the Pilots ended a 12-game losing streak against the Waves.

Portland (12-6, 1-2 West Coast Conference) trailed only once in the game, at 3-2, and led by as many as 15.

Pepperdine (12-6, 2-1) lost despite getting 24 points from Glen McGowan and 23 from Alex Acker. The two combined for the Waves’ first 16 points of the game and 16 of the Waves’ first 18 of the second half.

UC Riverside 68, UC Irvine 55 -- The Highlanders, paced by a career-high 29 points from freshman Larry Cunningham, jumped to a quick first-half lead and won easily at Riverside.

The win ended a five-game losing streak for the Highlanders (5-8, 1-3 Big West Conference). The Anteaters (6-6, 1-4) lost their fourth straight game.

Ross Schraeder led UC Irvine scorers with 12 points.

UC Santa Barbara 76, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 56 -- Derek Rasp made four three-pointers and scored a career-high 14 points for the Gauchos at Santa Barbara.

UC Santa Barbara (5-8, 3-3 Big West) ended a three-game losing streak by shooting 48.1% and holding the Mustangs (3-10, 1-5) to 25.6% shooting.

Rasp, a walk-on, scored 11 of his points in the first half to lead the Gauchos to a 42-30 lead at the break. UC Santa Barbara led by as many as 29 points in the second half.

Associated Press