Maybe the Loyola Marymount Lions can petition the West Coast Conference to play all their games on the road. LMU held an early seven-point lead in the first half, but ultimately fell Thursday night 71-64 to the No. 20 Saint Mary's Gaels at the Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles.
The Lions (12-9, 5-3) are winless at home in WCC play this season, yet undefeated on the road in conference action. With the loss, Loyola Marymount fell to 2-2 against ranked foes. The Lions have lost 11 straight games to Saint Mary's.
Drew Viney led the Lions with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers. Anthony Ireland, who won the WCC Player of the Week last week, scored 15 points and dished out five assists for Loyola Marymount, who shot 41.4% from the field.
Saint Mary's (20-2, 9-0) remained undefeated in the WCC thanks to a strong game down low. The Gaels outscored the Lions 34-18 in the paint and outrebounded LMU 39-24. Rob Jones grabbed 15 rebounds to go with his 11 points, and Stephen Holt led Saint Mary's with 19 points.
Loyola Marymount next hosts Portland on Saturday night in a game that will be televised by Fox Sports West.