Loyola Marymount outlasts San Diego in WCC tournament
Well, somebody had to win.
The West Coast Conference began men’s tournament play Friday at Orleans Arena, and after the last bricked shot had been tossed up and the last turnover had been committed, eighth-seeded Loyola Marymount had held off a late charge by No. 9 San Diego to win 64-61.
Loyola (14-16) will face top-seeded Saint Mary’s at 7 p.m. today in the quarterfinals. San Diego finished 9-21 under first-year coach Lamont Smith.
“This is our first time being in this situation with nine new players,” Lions coach Mike Dunlap said. “I thought we were fantastic defensively. We tried to pressure them and get them out of their comfort zone.”
The Lions lost both their games to Saint Mary’s this season. If they have anything going for them, it’s a bit of momentum. Loyola Marymount has won three straight for the first time since late November.
But the Lions will need a far better performance than the one they put forth Friday. LMU had 15 turnovers, shot 4 of 13 on 3-pointers and almost squandered a 12-point second-half lead, as the Toreros pulled within 60-58 with 51 seconds remaining. But four straight free throws helped LMU seal the win.
Brandon Brown scored 20 points for the Lions, who forced 16 turnovers and held San Diego to 8-for-25 shooting on 3-pointers.
“Right now, we’re playing our best basketball of the season,” said Loyola sophomore swingman Steve Haney, who scored 12 points. “We’re such a resilient group. We look out for each other.”
Women’s tournament
Brigham Young 72, Pepperdine 59 — The top-seeded Cougars (25-5) got double-doubles from Lexi Rydalch and Kalani Purcell to advance to Monday’s semifinals. Rydalch scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Purcell had 19 points and 11 rebounds.
BYU, which will play fourth-seeded Santa Clara at noon Monday, outscored Pepperdine (7-24) by 10 points in both the second and third quarters and led by 27 early in the fourth.
Saint Mary’s 85, Loyola Marymount 71 — Lauren Nicholson led the second-seeded Gaels (24-6) with 24 points, and Saint Mary’s outrebounded the Lions 54-28.
The Gaels will face sixth-seeded San Francisco at 2 p.m. Monday in the semifinals. The Dons (10-9) defeated San Diego 84-80 Thursday to advance.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj
WCC tournament schedule
At Orleans Arena
Today
Men’s quarterfinals
1 p.m.: No. 3 BYU vs. No. 6 Santa Clara
3 p.m.: No. 4 Pepperdine vs. No. 5 San Francisco
7 p.m.: No. 1 Saint Mary’s vs. Loyola Marymount
9 p.m.: No. 2 Gonzaga vs. No. 7 Portland
Monday
Women’s and men’s semifinals
Noon: Women’s semifinal: BYU vs. Santa Clara
2 p.m.: Women’s semifinal: Saint Mary’s vs. San Francisco
6 p.m.: Men’s semifinal
8:30 p.m.: Men’s semifinal
Tuesday
Women’s and men’s finals
1 p.m.: Women’s final
6 p.m.: Men’s final
