Saint Mary's Gaels vs Loyola Marymount Lions Match Player Stats On Feb 08, 2018

Sophomore guard Jordan Ford added 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting, and senior point guard Emmett Naar registered 12 assists as the Gaels (24-2, 13-0 WCC) maintained their one-game lead over Gonzaga in the conference race. The two teams square off Saturday at Saint Mary's. The Gaels won the first meeting on the Bulldogs' home floor.

Saint Mary's shot a torrid 64 percent from the floor, including 70.8 percent (17 of 24) in the second half.

Freshman forward Eli Scott scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Lions (7-17, 2-11). Freshman forward Zafir Williams added 11 points for Loyola Marymount, which lost for the 13th time in the past 15 games.

The Lions shot 43.6 percent from the field.

Saint Mary's led by just nine points at halftime before pulling away in the second half.

Naar hit two free throws to cap a 13-3 burst that gave the Gaels a 55-38 lead with 15:32 to play.

Loyola Marymount moved within 12 on a jumper by Williams, but Saint Mary's answered with a 10-4 surge and took a 65-47 lead on a 3-pointer by senior forward Calvin Hermanson with 10:47 left.

A 3-pointer by junior forward Evan Fitzner pushed the lead to 20 with 4:58 to play. The lead topped out at 23.

Landale and Ford each scored 13 first-half points as the Gaels took a 40-31 edge into the break.

Saint Mary's made eight of its first 10 shots and held a 20-8 lead after sophomore guard Tanner Krebs buried a 3-pointer with 12:38 left in the half. The lead reached 29-13 on two free throws by Landale with 6:26 to play.

Loyola Marymount finished the half with a flourish, and junior guard James Batemon's layup with 1:04 left made it a nine-point margin at the break.

--Field Level Media