The biggest shocker of the week — if not longer — in college basketball transpired in the Pacific Northwest on Thursday night when Loyola Marymount upset No. 6 Gonzaga 68-67 at The Kennel. An upset of this magnitude means streaks and droughts galore got detonated in Spokane, Washington.
Gonzaga entered the evening with the longest home winning streak in men’s Division I basketball. The NCAA officially recognized it to be 76 games, though the streak was 75 in a row at The Kennel, Gonzaga’s on-campus home venue. Earlier this season, Gonzaga beat Kentucky at nearby Spokane Arena, thus contributing +1 to the streak, which is now kaput.
The win for LMU (14-7, 4-3 WCC) marked the first time a visitor beat the Bulldogs (16-4, 5-1) at the McCarthey Athletic Center since Saint Mary’s almost five years ago to the day: Jan. 18, 2018.
The Lions, who were 16.5-point underdogs, ended a 32-year drought of futility on Gonzaga’s campus. Their last win at GU came in 1991, when LMU was on the descent from its peak as a program in the late ’80s. LMU also snapped a 25-game overall losing streak to the Zags; its last win in this series came on Feb. 18, 2010, at LMU.
LMU senior guard Cam Shelton was outstanding Thursday night, scoring a game-high 27 points in addition to nine rebounds. The Lions also got 15 points off the bench from junior guard Jalin Anderson. Shelton’s right-handed runner with 14.7 left proved to be the game-winner.
For Gonzaga, All-American candidate Drew Timme had a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds. On the game’s final possession, Timme set a hard screen on Shelton at the top of the key, which freed him for a pick-and-roll drive to the rim — but his shot in traffic was blocked by LMU reserve Michael Graham. A desperation recovery-and-heave from Julian Strawther never had a chance.
Thursday night also marked the first time in 93 games that Gonzaga lost to an unranked…
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