The Bulldogs of No. 13 Gonzaga got the revenge they were looking for Thursday night, routing Loyola Marymount 108-65. The Lions had ended Gonzaga’s 75-game home winning streak with a 68-67 win on Jan. 19, but this time the Bulldogs had six players who scored in double digits and held a 51-point lead less than six minutes into the second half.
Julian Strawther led the way with 28 points, while Anton Watson and Drew Timme added 16 and 13 points, respectively. Cam Shelton, who scored the winner in the teams’ first meeting, led the Lions with 15 points, followed by Keli Leaupepe with 13.
Gonzaga had an early 5-4 advantage before taking control with 20 straight points. Strawther had seven points during the run, including a four-point play and a dunk from an alley-oop after receiving the pass from Malachi Smith. The Bulldogs made 14 of their first 16 from the field to take a 35-10 lead.
The Lions remained scoreless for 5:14 before Jalin Anderson’s jumper in the lane ended the sprint. They committed six turnovers in the first six minutes of the game. Gonzaga’s biggest first-half lead came on a dunk by Smith with three seconds remaining after he stole the ball from Shelton near midfield.
It’s the eighth time this season that the Bulldogs have scored at least 100 points and extended their win streak against unranked opponents to 41. Loyola Marymount has recorded two wins against top-15 teams for the first time in program history, but have lost four of their last five.
Gonzaga will remain in Southern California to face Pepperdine on Saturday, while Loyola Marymount will host Pacific on Saturday in its regular-season home final.