Gonzaga @ Loyola Marymount preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 14, 2019 ) Gonzaga 73, Loyola Marymount 60

Top-ranked Gonzaga seeks to defeat Loyola Marymount for the 22nd consecutive time when it visits the Lions on Saturday in Los Angeles. Loyola Marymount last beat the Bulldogs 74-66 on Feb. 18, 2010 in a major upset at "Hank's House," the on-campus facility dubbed in that manner in memory of the legendary Hank Gathers.

Gonzaga has won nine consecutive contests and put forth a stellar effort on Thursday when it steamrolled San Diego 94-50 for its 34th consecutive conference road victory. "That was probably as good as our attention to detail has been with our scouting plan and reports and what we're trying to do defensively," Bulldogs coach Mark Few said afterward, "so the guys deserve a lot of credit." Gonzaga dominated the interior with a 47-27 rebounding edge and a 52-18 edge in points in the paint while also recording a 24-3 advantage in fast-break points. Loyola Marymount has been off since last Saturday when it posted a season low for points and committed a season-worst 21 turnovers in a 63-38 road loss at BYU.

TIME: 4 p.m. ET. TV: ROOT Sports, Spectrum SportsNet, WCC Network

ABOUT GONZAGA (17-1, 3-0 WCC): Sophomore guard Joel Ayayi scored 20 points against the Toreros and he has connected on 18-of-26 field-goal attempts over the past three games while raising his season average to 11.2, significantly higher than last season's 1.7. "Every day was not a good day for me but I kept my head up and I kept reminding myself that one day I would have the opportunity to shine and now I have it," Ayayi said during a postgame television interview following the win over San Diego. "It is the work I put in showing up." Sophomore forward Filip Petrusev scored 17 points and leads the squad in scoring (16.7), rebounding (7.9) and blocked shots (23).

ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT (7-9, 1-1): Having a lot of rest may not be a big help for the Lions, who shot just 34 percent from the field and were held to 19 points in each half while being drubbed by BYU. Leading scorer Eli Scott scored 15 points and the junior guard leads Loyola Marymount in scoring (16.1), rebounding (6.4) and assists (4.7). Sophomore forward Ivan Alipiev (10.8) is the only other player scoring in double digits for a team averaging 66.8 per game.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Gonzaga has won the past nine meetings against Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.

2. Scott has topped 20 points four times this season.

3. Bulldogs senior SG Admon Gilder is 10-of-34 shooting over the past four games.

PREDICTION: Gonzaga 93, Loyola Marymount 66