By CURRAN MCCAULEY
With the final full week of non-conference action upon us in the West Coast Conference, let’s take a look back at some of the movers and shakers from last week, as well as the first couple of days of this week in a rare midweek version of “5 Takeaways.”
1. Pepperdine will go as far as Stacy Davis will take them – Stacy Davis was named West Coast Conference player of the week as Pepperdine took down Long Beach State before heading to Muncie, Ind. and grounding Ball State. Against LBSU, Davis chipped in 14 points, pulled down 10 boards and made two blocks. Davis then tied his career high with four three-pointers as part of a 16-point, 12-board effort against Ball State on Saturday. A Friday matchup with Louisiana-Lafayette (7:00 pm PT) will serve as a prelude to the conference opener at Gonzaga on Monday.
2. Saint Mary’s Goes Insane From 3-Point Land – After a narrow defeat at Cal, Saint Mary’s set a program best in a 10:00 pm ET game under the national radar, Saint Mary’s improved to 7-1 with an absolute barrage from beyond the arc against Cal Poly. The Gaels made 19 threes against the Mustangs in a thirty-point win. Balanced scoring was yet again a key for the Gaels, who saw four players in double figures. Calvin Hermanson led the way with a career high 23 (5/10 from three) while standout guards Emmett Naar and Joe Rahon knocked down a total of seven from beyond the arc. Stefan Gonzalez picked up 15, all from three-point land. A Wednesday night home contest with Southern Utah (7:00 pm PT) wraps up non-conference play before the Gaels open WCC play at home against San Francisco.
3. Battle In Seattle on Deck For Zags – After a disappointing loss to UCLA last week at the McCarthey Athletic Center, GU breezed past Division II Saint Martin’s at home as Domantas Sabonis (21 points, 12 rebounds) and Kyle Wiltjer (18 points, 11 rebounds) each posted double-doubles in the win. Gonzaga now hosts its annual Battle In Seattle game against Tennessee on Saturday. KeyArena is the stage for the 8:00 pm PT matchup with the 4-4 Volunteers. Gonzaga has dropped its annual Seattle game just four times, including a 2007 contest with then-11th ranked Tennessee. ESPNU will televise Gonzaga’s last test before conference play begins at home against Pepperdine on Monday.
4. LMU takes down Fullerton -I haven’t spoken much about LMU this season, and I think its time for the Lions to get a bit of respect as they have outperformed expectations thus far in the non-conference portion of the schedule. A team picked last in the WCC prior to the season, Loyola Marymount recorded a win over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday with Steven Haney Jr. going for 23 in the second half in Fullerton. Marin Mornar came off the bench to chip in 20 points while Brandon Brown and Petr Herman also going for double figures. The Lions have a matchup with Jacksonville State on Friday at Gersten Pavillion (6:00 pm PT) before traveling to Portland to open conference play on Monday.
5. Alec Kobre heats it up – As great as the Gaels have been from three-point land, perhaps no one in the conference has the impact that Alec Kobre of Pacific does when he gets hot. After being held out of the Tigers’ first six contests due to an NCAA investigation, Kobre opened his 2015-16 campaign with a 24-point effort against UC Irvine, buoyed by four three-pointers. On Tuesday at Green Bay, Kobre eclipsed the performance, as he scored 12 points in the final 50 seconds of the contest, lighting up the scoreboard as Pacific made a late charge in a loss to the Phoenix. Kobre’s seven three-pointers and 25 points were career bests for the senior from Santa Rosa, Calif. Pacific is finished with the 2015 non-conference portion of its schedule and opens up its third season of WCC conference play at home against Santa Clara on Monday.
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