Harris lifts No. 21 Zags
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 13 years, 11 months AGO
<p>Gonzaga forward Elias Harris, right, shoots over Loyola Marymount's Godwin Okonji during the first half Saturday night at Los Angeles.</p>
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mark Few was eager to find out how his team would respond just two days removed from a rare lopsided conference loss.
Thrown into another tough road environment, the Gonzaga coach was pleased with the resolve his players showed.
Elias Harris scored 19 points and Gary Bell added 16 to help No. 21 Gonzaga beat Loyola Marymount 62-58 on Saturday night.
The Bulldogs were coming off an 83-62 defeat to Saint Mary’s on Thursday in what was the most one-sided West Coast Conference setback in Few’s 13 years at the helm.
“In bounce-back games you find out a lot about your character, your heart, your toughness, your confidence,” Few said. “Your confidence can get a little sapped and our guys didn’t do that.”
Kevin Pangos overcame a rough shooting night to score nine points and Robert Sacre had eight for the Bulldogs (14-3, 4-1 WCC), who pulled away early in the second half to avoid a second straight upset.
“It feels good to finish the road trip with a W and get our confidence back, especially after that weak performance on Thursday,” Harris said.
Ashley Hamilton had 16 points and LaRon Armstead added 14 for Loyola Marymount (10-8, 3-2), which made just six shots after halftime.
The Lions were gunning for a third win over a ranked opponent this season but were done in by making just 6 of 21 shots following the intermission.
“We were ineffective offensively and we were letting it bleed into our defense,” LMU coach Max Good said. “You can’t drop your head for a split second against them. Their just too good, they take advantage of you.”
The Bulldogs outscored LMU 38-20 in the paint to overcome some cold shooting from distance. They made just 2 of 13 3-point attempts.
Gonzaga went ahead by as many as 11 in the second half but saw that lead cut to 58-57 on a dunk by Hamilton with less than 2 minutes to play. After Drew Viney missed a leaner that would have given the Lions the lead, the long rebound was tracked down by Gonzaga.
Pangos worked the clock down and found Harris cutting along the baseline for an up-and-under layup that made it 60-57 with 8 seconds to go.
Gonzaga hosts San Francisco on Thursday.
GONZAGA (14-3)
Harris 9-17 1-2 19, Sacre 3-7 2-4 8, Pangos 1-6 6-6 9, Bell 6-9 3-4 16, Hart 1-2 0-0 2, Carter 0-0 0-0 0, Landry Edi 0-1 0-2 0, Stockton 0-3 0-0 0, Spangler 0-0 0-0 0, Keita 1-3 0-0 2, Dower 3-4 0-0 6. Totals 24-52 12-18 62.
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT (10-8)
Hamilton 6-9 2-4 16, Okonji 2-5 0-0 4, Viney 2-10 2-2 6, Ireland 3-8 3-4 11, Egbeyemi 0-2 0-0 0, English 0-0 0-0 0, Blackwell 0-4 0-0 0, Armstead 4-8 4-4 14, Osborne 1-3 2-2 4, Lawson 1-1 1-2 3. Totals 19-50 14-18 58.
Halftime_Loyola Marymount 34-32. 3-Point Goals_Gonzaga 2-13 (Bell 1-2, Pangos 1-4, Landry Edi 0-1, Stockton 0-1, Hart 0-1, Keita 0-1, Harris 0-3), Loyola Marymount 6-17 (Hamilton 2-3, Armstead 2-3, Ireland 2-4, Egbeyemi 0-1, Blackwell 0-2, Viney 0-4). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Gonzaga 32 (Sacre 6), Loyola Marymount 30 (Osborne 6). Assists_Gonzaga 10 (Bell, Pangos 3), Loyola Marymount 8 (Ireland 5). Total Fouls_Gonzaga 17, Loyola Marymount 17. A_3,942.