Julian Strawther scores 30, No. 13 Gonzaga downs LMU 108-65 in rematch
Gonzaga #Gonzaga
In Gonzaga’s last meeting with Loyola Marymount, Julian Strawther shot a season-worst 1-for-8 from the floor in a 68-67 Lions victory in Spokane on Jan. 19. Finishing with six points, Strawther and the Zags fell just short after Cam Shelton knocked down the game-winning runner, ending a 76-game home winning streak that was the longest in the modern era of Division I basketball.
On Thursday, Strawther and No. 13 Gonzaga bounced back in a 108-65 blowout over Loyola Marymount on Thursday.
Strawther pitched in 30 points for the Zags (22-5, 11-2 WCC), who never trailed throughout and led by as many as 51 points. Anton Watson added 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the floor. Drew Timme finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
Cam Shelton’s 15 points led the Lions (17-10, 7-6 WCC), who have dropped four of their last five games. Keli Leaupepe added 13 points.
Shelton was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week after back-to-back 30-point games against Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara last week.
Strawther converted a 4-point play after knocking down a 3-pointer while being fouled by Michael Graham, giving Gonzaga a 21-4 lead with 14:39 left in the first half.
Three possessions later, Strawther capped off a 20-0 scoring run with a fastbreak dunk off a blocked shot by Timme, who got a piece of Chance Stephen’s 3-point attempt.
Strawther knocked down 6 triples as Gonzaga went 8-for-17 from beyond the arc against LMU, the WCC’s best defense against the 3-pointer this season. The Lions entered Thursday allowing opponents to shoot 31.4% from deep.
Watson, who was 9-for-32 from deep entering Thursday, knocked down a contested 3-pointer from the right wing to make it 35-10 in favor of the Zags.
Strawther’s fourth 3-pointer of the night, a heat-check well beyond the arc, gave Gonzaga a 54-20 lead. With 33 seconds left in the half, Strawther knocked down a triple in front of the LMU bench to conclude a 22-point first-half performance.
Gonzaga led 68-28 at halftime after shooting 71.1% from the floor. Scoring on 31 of their first 38 possessions, the Zags committed one turnover and averaged 1.79 points per possession.
Leaupepe made two 3-pointers to start the second half. The Zags responded with a 14-0 scoring run, including another 4-point play from Strawther.
Gonzaga has won 30 of the last 32 meetings overall and the last 11 in Los Angeles.
The Zags head west to face Pepperdine in Malibu, California, on Saturday at 4 p.m. PST.