Gonzaga has been victorious by an average of 27.9 points during an eight-game winning streak and it still managed to lose the No. 1 ranking earlier this week.
The now-No. 2 Bulldogs look to continue their dominating methods on Thursday night when they face Loyola Marymount in West Coast Conference play at Spokane, Wash.
Gonzaga (15-2, 4-0 WCC) has prevailed by 30 or more points on four occasions during a hot streak in which it has scored 110 or more points three times. The Bulldogs averaged 114 points over a torrid three-game stretch before posting a 78-62 home win over San Francisco last Thursday.
“We’re not going to score 115 every night, and we’re not going to blow everyone out,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few told reporters of his squad, which leads the nation in scoring at 90.2 points per game.
Still, the Bulldogs have won their four WCC games by an average of 27.0 points and Loyola Marymount (9-8, 2-3) has been largely uncompetitive in the series between the two schools.
Gonzaga has won the past 24 meetings and is 45-3 during Few’s 23 seasons as coach. The Lions last defeated the Zags 74-66 on Feb. 18, 2010 in Los Angeles.
Loyola Marymount has dropped 31 straight games in Spokane, last winning 91-79 on Feb. 7, 1991. That victory came in the season following the school’s memorable NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearance.
The Bulldogs own a national-best 62-game home winning streak.
Freshman big man Chet Holmgren was a force in the win over San Francisco as he scored a career-best 22 points to go with nine rebounds and four blocked shots.
“Chet was huge for us,” Bulldogs star Drew Timme said. “He was doing it all. He gave us a boost in the first half when we needed it most.”
Holmgren ranks second on Gonzaga with a 13.6 average and leads the team in rebounding (8.5). He also has a team-high 56 blocked shots.
Timme leads the squad with an 18.8 average. He scored 23 points against the Dons but was a non-factor most of the game. Timme scored 14 of his points in the final 8:51.
Loyola Marymount learned earlier this week that valuable guard Dameane Douglas will miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury.
Douglas was injured in the first half of a 70-58 victory over Portland on Jan. 17.
Douglas was shooting a team-best 56.7 percent from the field while ranking third in both scoring (10.8) and rebounding (4.5).
He was badly missed Saturday when visiting Saint Mary’s steamrolled the Lions 83-51. Loyola Marymount shot just 35.4 percent from the field — including 21.1 percent (4 of 19) from 3-point range — while allowing its second-most points of the campaign.
“We got to be a lot better,” Lions coach Stan Johnson said afterward. “That’s unacceptable. The effort is unacceptable. How we played is unacceptable. That’s not allowed.”
Leading scorer Eli Scott matched his season low of five points as his average dipped to 16.7. He attempted just three shots, making two.
Second-leading scorer Joe Quintana (13.3) also struggled with just four points on 1-of-8 shooting.
–Field Level Media