Petrusev leads No. 2 Gonzaga over Loyola Marymount, 85-67
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Filip Petrusev scored 21 points as No. 2 Gonzaga beat Loyola Marymount 85-67 on Thursday night for its 16th consecutive victory.
Admon Gilder and Drew Timme each scored 17 points for Gonzaga (24-1, 10-0 West Coast), which also won its 36th consecutive home game, longest active streak in the nation. Five Zags scored in double figures.
Eli Scott scored 15 and Ivan Alipiev 12 for Loyola Marymount (8-16, 2-8), which lost its fourth game in a row and 23rd straight to Gonzaga.
This win was relatively easy, after Gonzaga was strongly tested in an 83-79 win at San Francisco last weekend.
Gonzaga made eight of its first 11 shots, four by Timme, to jump to a 17-7 lead. Jordan Bell’s basket cut Gonzaga’s lead to 32-26 with three minutes left in the first.
Gonzaga led only 38-30 at halftime, despite shooting 61% while holding the Lions to 43%. Loyola Marymount did not shoot a free throw in the first half.
Corey Kispert hit a pair of 3-pointers to put Gonzaga up 55-38 early in the second, and Gilder’s 3-pointer capped a 9-0 run that put Gonzaga up 64-42 with just over 10 minutes left.
ONE MORE STREAK
Gonzaga has won 37 straight conference regular season games, longest such streak in the nation and a WCC record.
INJURIES
Gonzaga forward Killian Tillie missed his second straight game with an ankle injury, leaving the Zags with a six-man rotation.
BIG PICTURE
Loyola Marymount: The Lions have a solid defense, allowing just 67.8 points per game, but could not stop the Zags …The Lions have not beaten Gonzaga since 2010 … Scott (15.7 ppg) is the only Loyola player averaging in double figures.
Gonzaga: The Bulldogs lead the nation in scoring at 88.6 points per game, and in scoring margin at 21.5 points per game … Six Gonzaga players average in double figures … The Zags are seeking to go undefeated in the WCC for the second consecutive season.
UP NEXT
Loyola Marymount plays BYU next Thursday.
Gonzaga plays at arch-rival Saint Mary’s, currently tied for second in the WCC with BYU, on Saturday. It is the first meeting of the season between the teams.
