Loyola Marymount surge stifled by No. 18 Gonzaga

The West Coast Conference isn't getting four bids to the NCAA Tournament next Sunday. It will let Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson sweat that one out.

But the WCC might have four teams playing basketball somewhere in two weeks thanks to Loyola Marymount's strong late-season surge.

The Lions, who were stomped by top-seeded Gonzaga 77-62 in Sunday's WCC tournament semifinals at the Orleans Arena, have an 18-15 record and are under consideration for the Collegeinsider.com Tournament. Given where LMU was a year ago, at 3-28 and one of the worst teams in college basketball, to extend its season would be a major accomplishment.

"I don't get the impression the season is over," LMU coach Max Good said. "We need to keep playing to keep improving. I believe these kids have earned that opportunity."

Gonzaga (26-5) will play No. 2 Saint Mary's in the WCC title game at 6 p.m. today after the Gaels routed No. 3 Portland, 69-55.

Gonzaga knows it's going to the NCAA Tournament one way or another. Several mock brackets have the Bulldogs, who are ranked 18th in the nation, as a projected No. 5 seed when the NCAA field is announced Sunday. But Coach Mark Few is an old hand at this sort of projection stuff. He doesn't spend much time worrying about it.

"I remember getting worked up (Dan) Dickau's senior year (in 2002) when we got sent to Albuquerque as a six seed and had to play in altitude," Few said. "But we have a saying, 'Control what you can control,' and we have no control over seeding. Unless you're a one or a two (seed), you're going to have a battle on your hands."

The Lions struggled early Sunday, turning it over on each of their first five possessions. They trailed 41-25 at halftime and looked every bit a tired team that was playing its third game in as many nights.

But Loyola Marymount caught a second wind and cut its deficit to 61-55 with 6:32 to play. However, the Lions never got closer as Gonzaga junior Steven Gray scored 18 points and freshman Elias Harris had 16 to help the Bulldogs advance.

For Saint Mary's (25-5), things are not as clear-cut despite Sunday's win. A year ago, Randy Bennett's team was in a similar situation -- a fairly good resume but with enough question marks for the selection committee to bypass it. And when the Gaels lost to Gonzaga in the WCC tournament title game, that's exactly what the committee did.

Bennett said the solution is simple -- win tonight and you'll get in.

"We had a tough Selection Sunday last year," Bennett said. "We understand both sides of it. But we still have control of our destiny right now."

The Gaels were in control at the half, leading 37-26, only to see the Pilots start the second half quickly and cut the margin to 37-32. But Saint Mary's went on a 30-11 run to lead 64-43 as Omar Samhan and Mickey McConnell led the way. Samhan, the WCC's leading scorer and rebounder, finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds. McConnell and Matt Dellavedova also had 16 points each.

"There's a lot of ifs and buts about the tournament," Samhan said. "But there's one fact -- win and you're in. We understand that, and we're going to play with great effort to try and win."

While Saint Mary's tries to avoid the National Invitation Tournament, Portland is looking to land a spot in the event. At 21-10, coach Eric Reveno believes his team has done enough to be NIT-worthy.

"Our team should be in that field," Reveno said. "It would be another step forward for our program if we were selected."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.