The Gonzaga Bulldogs look to get back on track when the red-hot Loyola Marymount Lions visit the McCarthey Athletic Center for a West Coast Conference matchup Thursday.
The Zags (16-7, 7-3 WCC) return home after coming up just short to Saint Mary’s in a heated battle last Saturday from Moraga, California, where the Gaels (20-3, 10-0 WCC) hung on for a 62-58 victory over their league rival. Gonzaga bounced back from a 14-point deficit to go ahead by four with less than 10 minutes to play, but couldn’t finish the job while misfiring on 10 of its last 12 attempts from the field. Saint Mary’s, meanwhile, won its 10th straight and gained a three-game lead in the WCC standings behind 16 points from freshman Mikey Lewis, plus 14 offensive rebounds as a team.
With the loss, the Bulldogs have now dropped three of their last five following a five-game winning streak.
On the other side, the Lions (14-8, 6-4 WCC) have been one of the WCC’s hottest teams as of late. With its come-from-behind win over San Diego last week, LMU has won five straight games in WCC play — the program’s first such streak since 1991.
The Lions overcame an 11-point deficit behind some stout defense against the Toreros, who were held to just 27.5% from the field and 2-of-18 from the 3-point line. Four LMU players finished in double-digit scoring, led by Myron Amey Jr.’s 16 points, while Jevon Porter had a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Porter was named WCC Player of the Week for the second time this season. He recorded back-to-back double-doubles while putting up 13.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 1.5 assists and 1.0 blocks in LMU’s two wins.
Gonzaga won the first meeting of the season in a 96-68 final from Gersten Pavilion on Jan. 4. Graham Ike, the team’s leading scorer, put up 27 points and nine rebounds. Khalif Battle added 26 as the Zags scored 56 points in the paint and went 52.8% from the field overall.
The Bulldogs have won 33 of the last 35 head-to-head meetings.
HOW TO WATCH GONZAGA VS. LMU
Who: Gonzaga takes on LMU in a WCC tilt
When: 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET | Thursday, Feb. 6
Where: McCarthey Athletic Center
TV: ESPN+ (out of region) KHQ/SWX (regional) FOX13+ (Seattle)
Betting: Gonzaga -19.5 (-110)
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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