Difference makers: Cam Shelton delivers decisive basket on 27-point night to lift LMU over No. 6 Gonzaga

Cam Shelton

The fourth-leading scorer in the West Coast Conference reached double figures for the 13th consecutive game and had his 11th game of scoring 20 points or more, finishing with 27 on 11-of-23 shooting from the field. Shelton, coming off a season-high 28 points against San Diego, made three 3-pointers and also grabbed nine rebounds. The Chino, California, native made the winning shot with 14 seconds remaining, scoring over Gonzaga’s Drew Timme. Shelton also had two assists and six turnovers.

Nolan Hickman

Gonzaga’s starting point guard didn’t lead the Bulldogs in scoring, but he was arguably their most consistent player in a losing effort. Hickman scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor and added six assists, falling two shy of his career high. The Seattle native hit his second 3-pointer of the game with 1 minute, 58 seconds remaining to cut Gonzaga’s deficit to 66-64. Hickman also matched his career high with three steals.

Key moment

In the game’s final sequence, Shelton, matched up against Timme, drove into the paint against the bigger Gonzaga forward and used his right hand to lay a running floater off the glass and into the basket. On the last possession, Timme received a pass from Hickman a few steps behind the free-throw line and drove into a cluster of red LMU jerseys. Timme’s layup was swatted away by Keli Leaupepe and Julian Strawther’s last-ditch 3-pointer fell short of the rim as the final buzzer sounded.