Cameron Shelton scored a game-high 27 points, including a go-ahead bank shot with 14 seconds remaining, as Loyola Marymount snapped No. 6 Gonzaga’s 75-game home winning streak with a 68-67 decision Thursday night in Spokane, Wash.
The Lions’ Keli Leaupepe blocked Drew Timme’s driving layup in the final seconds and Julian Strawther’s off-balance 3-point attempt at the final buzzer came up short.
Jalin Anderson added 15 points and Leaupepe scored 11 for the Lions (14-7 overall, 4-3 West Coast Conference), who snapped a 25-game losing streak to the Bulldogs dating to Feb. 18, 2010.
Timme led Gonzaga (16-4, 5-1) with 17 points, scoring 15 in the second half. Nolan Hickman added 12 points and Rasir Bolton scored 10.
The Zags’ home winning streak was the longest in Division I men’s basketball since the NCAA Tournament expanded in 1985. Gonzaga also had won 93 in a row against unranked opponents, and it was riding an 11-game winning streak.
Gonzaga led 27-19 with 6:44 left before the intermission.
The Lions stayed close, though, with Justin Ahrens banking in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to pull Loyola Marymount within 33-32 at the half.
The Lions led 53-44 with 11:05 remaining.
Loyola Marymount took a 66-59 lead on Shelton’s step-back 3-pointer with 2:55 left.
But the Zags came back.
Timme made a put-back with 2:35 left, Hickman drained a 3-pointer with 1:58 remaining, and a steal and dunk by Anton Watson capped a 7-0 run to tie it at 66 with 1:27 to go.
Timme made one of two free throws with 43 seconds remaining, setting the stage for Shelton.
The Zags, who led Division I in both scoring (86.9 points per game) and shooting percentage (51.7), were limited to 44.4 percent. The Lions made 47.4 percent of their field-goal attempts.
–Field Level Media
