Zags roll in WCC opener

LOS ANGELES – Loyola Marymount men’s basketball coach Rodney Tention stressed earlier this week that his team needed to keep the score in the 60s to have a chance against Gonzaga.

Not much chance of that happening when the Bulldogs shooting percentage was in the 60s.

Gonzaga established season highs in field-goal accuracy, assists and points en route to a 91-68 victory over the Lions in the West Coast Conference opener for both teams in front of 3,692 Saturday at Gersten Pavilion. The Bulldogs sailed past the 60-point mark with more than 5 minutes remaining and used an 11-0 run to create a 20-point bulge with 2:22 left.

The Bulldogs, who improved to 12-4 with their third straight win, had widespread contributions, led by Josh Heytvelt’s 19 points and Matt Bouldin’s 17. Jeremy Pargo started and played 21 minutes, despite not practicing all week with a sore lower back. Austin Daye and Micah Downs came off the bench to add 13 and 11 points, respectively.

“The most encouraging thing for us is we got some inspiring minutes from maybe some guys that hadn’t been able to bring us that,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said.

Early on, both teams scored at will. The start was somewhat similar to Jan. 5 when Georgia’s Billy Humphrey made four quick 3-pointers. This time, it was LMU’s Corey Counts who hit three 3s at the outside, nearly doubling his scoring average of 4.9. The Lions led 23-21 after the first 10 minutes, but the Bulldogs tightened up their defense and kept on scoring.

Gonzaga made 63 percent from the field as 10 players cracked the scoring column in the first half. Heytvelt had 13 points in 12 first-half minutes.

“I’ve had a target on my back since the incident happened,” said Heytvelt, referring to his suspension last February after his drug arrest. “I came out and tried to play my game. I had a pretty good first half, but the second half was kind of a downfall, but everyone else kind of picked it up for me.”

Gonzaga rattled off 11 unanswered points to take a 32-23 lead. That ballooned to 44-30 at the half, but the Lions closed it to 48-43 with 16:06 remaining. The Zags turned to Bouldin, who delivered a layup on a back-door cut and a post-up that led to an easy basket in the lane.

Daye added a 3-pointer – he was 3 of 3 from long distance – and GU’s lead was back in double figures.

“Matt had some (ex-Zag Dan) Dickau-type moments where we were in the bonus and he was taking care of the ball and he did a real nice job from about the 7-minute mark to about the 3-minute mark of managing the game,” Few said.

The Lions made one last run, pulling within eight, but Bouldin answered with a driving layup. After an exchange of baskets, Steven Gray, Bouldin, Heytvelt and Kuso contributed to GU’s decisive 11-0 run.

“We’d cut into the lead and then have a period where we’d turn it over and they’d convert, we’d turn it over and they’d convert,” Tention said. “There’s no chance for us if we couldn’t keep it in the 60s. They’re just too good, too experienced and have too many weapons.

“They made us look like the young team that we are.”

Gonzaga made 65.4 percent from the floor, its best since making 66.7 percent against San Diego nearly a year ago. Bouldin had eight of Gonzaga’s 25 assists.

“We were just trying to get the best shots for each other,” Bouldin said. “Usually when we move the ball that’s what happens.”

Pargo added four assists, but was clearly feeling the effects of the hard fall he took Jan. 5 against Georgia.

“He’s playing in a lot of pain right now,” Few said.

Counts, who had one game in double figures this season, poured in 21 points, but Loyola Marymount had 18 turnovers that led to 17 Gonzaga points. The Zags also had a commanding 54-16 edge in points in the paint.

The Bulldogs visit Pepperdine at 9 p.m. Monday.

Gonzaga 91, Loyola Marymount 68

Percentages: FG .654, FT .810. 3-Point Goals: 6-12, .500 (Daye 3-3, Gray 1-1, Pendergraft 1-2, Downs 1-2, Bouldin 0-4). Team Rebounds: 3. Blocked Shots: 7 (Kuso 3, Heytvelt, Gray, Daye, Brown). Turnovers: 15 (Daye 4, Bouldin 2, Downs 2, Kuso 2, Pendergraft, Heytvelt, Pargo, Gurganious, Sacre). Steals: 9 (Bouldin 5, Pargo, Gray, Daye, Brown). Technical Fouls: None.

Percentages: FG .434, FT .824. 3-Point Goals: 8-20, .400 (Counts 5-6, Deadwiler 2-4, Deric 1-3, Johnson 0-1, Turner 0-1, Diederichs 0-2, Maynard 0-3). Team Rebounds: 0. Blocked Shots: 1 (Diederichs). Turnovers: 18 (Maynard 5, Johnson 3, Craig 2, Diederichs 2, Counts 2, Deadwiler 2, Turner, Deric). Steals: 5 (Sutton 2, Counts, Deadwiler, Maynard). Technical Fouls: None.

Halftime – Gonzaga 44, Loyola Marymount 30. A – 3,692.