Elias Harris, Kevin Pangos lift No. 1 Gonzaga over Loyola Marymount

Las Vegas, NV, United States (4E Sports) – Elias Harris tallied 21 points and Kevin Pangos added 14 as Gonzaga started its reign as No. 1 with a 66-48 victory over Loyola Marymount Sunday at Orleans Arena, reaching the 30-win plateau for the first time in school history.

Kelly Olynyk added eight points and eight boards to help the Bulldogs (30-2) advance to the final of the West Coast Conference against Saint Mary, which defeated San Diego in overtime, 69-66.

Anthony Ireland was the only player in double-digit with 19 points as the Lions ended their campaign with an 11-23 record, including 1-15 in the WCC.

Ireland’s output gave him 688 on the season to finish seventh all-time for a single season. His career total is now at 1,576, 10th all-time at LMU.

The Lions kept the game close in the first half, with the Bulldogs leading by just 27-26 at the break.

However, the Bulldogs went on a 14-0 run in the second half to put the Lions in a double-digit hole they couldn’t get out of.

“They are a very, very good team. I greatly respect their program,” said Loyola Marymount head coach Max Good. “I am a man of many words, but I am really not sure how to express how proud I am of this team and their effort, not just in the tournament, but every day all season.”

With a 14-0 run capped by Pangos’ three-pointer, Gonzaga took a 46-31 lead with 13:50 to play before Bruce English stopped the scoring drought with a lay-up.

Gonzaga hit 67.7 percent from the field in the second half and 43.5 percent for the game while Loyola Marymount made just 24.1 percent of its shots in the final half and 30.6 percent for the game.

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