Los Angeles, CA – Kelly Olynyk led four Gonzaga players in double-figures with 15 points and grabbed six rebounds, as the seventh-ranked Bulldogs crushed Loyola Marymount, 88-43, Thursday at Albert Gersten Pavilion.
Gary Bell Jr. also dropped in 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range for the Bulldogs (20-2, 7-0 WCC), who have a 7-0 start in conference play for the first time since going undefeated in league play in 2008-09. Sam Dower and Drew Barham scored 13 points apiece, while Barham connected on 4- of-5 from downtown in the victory.
Since suffering a heartbreaking 64-63 loss at ninth-ranked Butler on Jan. 19, Gonzaga has beaten its last three opponents, BYU, San Francisco and LMU, by a combined 79 points.
"We played great. We did what we set out to do," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "We wanted to come down here, play with some passion and bottle up they way we've been playing at home and take it on the road. I thought we did a good job of doing that."
Anthony Ireland led Loyola Marymount with 19 points and five 3-pointers for the Lions (8-13, 1-7), who have dropped five straight and seven of their last eight. Ashley Hamilton chipped in nine points in the loss.
Gonzaga started the game on a 16-6 surge after Olynyk hit a 3-pointer just over six minutes into the contest. Ireland helped draw the Lions briefly within 22-16 after a 10-6 run with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half, but that's when the offense hit a slump.
Unfortunately, it was the closest the home team would get with the 'Zags for the rest of the game.
Gonzaga unleashed a 24-2 flurry to end the first half to head into the break up comfortably, 46-18. The visitors shot lights out from behind the arc -- 8- of-13 for 61.5 percent -- while Bell had 15 points, all off 3-pointers. Loyola Marymount shot 24 percent from the floor and had just three players find the scoreboard, all after 20 minutes of play.
"They are one of the most balanced teams I have seen," Loyola Marymount coach Max Good said. "So many guys can come out and hurt you. And when they are hitting from the outside like that, they are very dangerous. They really are one of the best teams in the nation I have seen."
Gonzaga increased its already dominant lead to 58-26 eight minutes into the second half with Dower's tip-in and as the game reached under eight minutes, David Stockton's trey made it 69-32 before the team rolled for the win.
Game Notes
The Bulldogs have won six straight in the series and 34 of 37 overall versus Loyola Marymount ... Gonzaga shot 54.4 percent from the floor, including a season-high 13 threes ... Ayodeji Egbeyemi contributed nine points and seven boards in the defeat ... LMU finished shooting 25 percent (14-of-56) from the floor ... The win guaranteed Few his 14th straight 20-victory season.
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