The Loyola Marymount Lions concluded their West Coast Conference regular season schedule with a 68-65 victory over the Santa Clara Broncos on Saturday night at Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles. The Lions have won seven of their last nine contests.
Loyola Marymount (19-11, 11-5 in WCC play) struggled in the first half against the Broncos, who came into the night with 16 straight losses. The Lions led just 29-28 at halftime. But Loyola Marymount pulled away in the second half, leading by as many as 11 points.
Anthony Ireland led the Lions with 17 points and six assists. Senior forwards Drew Viney (14 points, nine rebounds) and LaRon Armstead (four points, two steals, 4-of-4 free throws) both contributed on Senior Night for Loyola Marymount. Armstead led the WCC in free throw percentage at 86.3%.
Raymond Cowels scored 22 points to lead the Broncos (8-21, 0-16), and added five rebounds in 33 minutes before fouling out.
Loyola Marymount is the No. 4 seed for the West Coast Conference tournament, which begins Wednesday. The Lions don't play until Friday, but a third meeting with the No. 5 San Francisco Dons seems likely. LMU swept USF this season, but the wins were by a total of three points. The Lions will play 6 p.m. on Friday on ESPNU and ESPN3.