By CURRAN MCCAULEY
We’ve reached the third weekend of WCC play, if you can believe it, and teams are starting to separate themselves with Saint Mary’s appearing to be a legitimate threat to the kingdom in Spokane while Loyola Marymount and San Diego struggle for consistency. With Gonzaga off on Thursday, a Gaels’ blowout and epic performances from Pepperdine’s Lamond Murray Jr. and BYU’s Kyle Collinsworth headlined the night of action. Here is a look at the full slate.
BYU 97, Santa Clara 61
Brigham Young picked up its second consecutive victory in conference play as Kyle Collinsworth picked up the ninth triple-double of his career in a rout of Santa Clara. The senior guard went for 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, extending the lead on his NCAA record in the category. Nicke Emery had 23 points for the Cougars while Zac Selijaas continued his barrage from beyond the arc with 14. Chase Fischer and Kyle Davis also scored in double figures for BYU, who cruised over the Broncos, who were led by Jared Brownridge (16 points) and Nate Kratch (8 rebounds). BYU hosts San Francisco at 6:00 pm Pacific on Saturday while Santa Clara travels to San Diego for a 7:00 pm tip-off.
Saint Mary’s 73, Loyola Marymount 48
I’d imagine that Saint Mary’s has a chance to be ranked in the AP Top 25 next week if they take care of business in a big showdown at Pepperdine on Saturday. The Gaels moved to 14-1 overall and 5-0 in conference as Emmett Naar led SMC with 15 points in Los Angeles. Calvin Hermanson and Jock Landale both had double digit efforts in the blowout win. Adom Jacko had a nice night for the Lions with 21 points, but LMU fell to 7-8 overall and 0-4 in conference, shooting just 37 percent on the night. Saint Mary’s faces off with Pepperdine at 1:00 pm PT on Saturday while Pacific visits Gersten Pavilion to take on the Lions at 3:00 pm.
Pepperdine 81, Pacific 76
In a game with rapper and friend Drake in attendance, Lamond Murray Jr. had a career high 31 points to go with 10 rebounds as Pepperdine narrowly defeated Pacific at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu. A T.J. Wallace jumper with 56 seconds left gave the Tigers a late lead, but a stout Waves defense and free throw shooting preserved the victory for the hosts. Jett Raines had 20 points while Stacy Davis recorded a double-double (17 points, 12 rebounds). T.J. Wallace had 22 for the Orange and Black while Tonko Vuko chipped in 14.
San Francisco 73, San Diego 65
San Francisco continued its surprising ascent through the WCC slate thus far with a 73-65 win in San Diego. USF was led by Ronnie Boyce, who went 5-6 from beyond the arc and finished with career high 22 points overall. Devin Watson, Tim Derksen and Uche Ofoegbu all scored in double digits as the Dons pulled away from San Diego, who is winless in conference play. San Diego closed in late, pulling to within five in the final minute, but the Dons delivered at the free throw line and forced missed shots to keep the Toreros from a home win. Vasa Pusica had 19 in a losing effort for USD.
They Said It
“Our Guys really battled. We didn’t play great and missed some shots we normally make and we need to play a little bit better down the stretch. But it’s hard to win on the road so we’ll run with it.” – San Francisco Head Coach Rex Walters
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