'It’s going to be a battle': Gonzaga readies for rematch with LMU in Los Angeles

The Zags' loss to LMU in Spokane ended a 75-game home winning streak at the McCarthey Athletic Center

After losing to Loyola Marymount in the final seconds on Jan. 19, No. 13 Gonzaga anticipates another hard-fought contest when it visits the Lions on Thursday (8 p.m. PST).

“We felt like that game was in our hands and we gave it away," said Gonzaga forward Drew Timme. “We’re going to give it our all and they’re going to give it their all, so it’s going to be a battle. But it’s going to be a fun one, for sure.”

The Zags' 68-67 loss to LMU in Spokane ended on a short runner off the backboard from guard Cam Shelton with 11.1 seconds left.

Shelton, LMU's leading scorer at 20.4 points per game, is coming off back-to-back 30-point games. He had 31 to help the Lions (17-10, 7-6 WCC) overcome then-No. 15 Saint Mary's in overtime before scoring 36 in a loss to Santa Clara last week.

“He's really good,“ said Gonzaga's Nolan Hickman after the loss on Jan. 19. “He gets into the paint, tries to find different angles or any way he can to get his shot up, which is phenomenal.“

Shelton's play has propelled LMU to fourth place in the conference, a year after finishing second-to-last with a 3-12 record against WCC opponents. 

“They’re a really good team,” said Gonzaga head coach Mark Few of LMU. “They’re on the way to winning 20-plus games this year and obviously beating Gonzaga and beating Saint Mary’s, they’ve shown they’re capable.”

Aside from Shelton, the Zags mentioned forwards Keli Leaupepe and Michael Graham as difference-makers for LMU. 

“It starts with [Shelton], but they're also very physical, with Leaupepe and the big fella (Graham), that they added in the transfer [portal], was really, really good against us,” Few said.

Ahead of its two-game to Southern California, Gonzaga (21-5, 10-2) is fresh off a pair of victories at home against San Francisco and BYU. 

Rasir Bolton had a game-high 23 points and six assists in the Zags' 99-81 win over the Dons, which also saw Timme and Watson score 21 and 15, respectively. 

Gonzaga had a much-closer margin of victory against the Cougars, winning 88-81 behind a 26-point showing from Julian Strawther. The Zags trailed with roughly four minutes remaining, but a pair of 3-pointers from Strawther pushed the team ahead to eventually secure the win.

The Zags are one game behind Saint Mary's for No. 1 in the WCC, a race that is heating up with five games remaining on Gonzaga's schedule.

Saint Mary's rallied from behind to defeat the Zags 78-70 in overtime on Feb. 2 in Moraga, California. The teams will play in Spokane on Feb. 25.