LMU ends No. 6 Gonzaga’s home streak at 75

SPOKANE, Wash. — Cam Shelton banked in a go-ahead runner with 13 seconds left and Loyola Marymount snapped No. 6 Gonzaga’s 75-game home winning streak with a 68-67 victory on Thursday night.

The home streak for the Bulldogs (16-4, 5-1 West Coast Conference) had been tied with Long Beach State (from 1968-74) for the eighth-longest in Division I history.

Shelton scored 27 points to lead the Lions (14-7, 4-3), who hadn’t won in Spokane since 1991 and had lost 25 straight overall to the Zags.

Gonzaga had won 93 straight games against unranked opponents with 69 of those coming at home, and had won its previous 116 WCC games against teams other than Saint Mary’s and BYU.

Gonzaga’s streak of 36 straight wins in the month of January also ended. The Bulldogs had won 11 straight overall since losing to Baylor on Dec. 2.

Jalin Anderson added 15 points and Keli Leaupepe had 11 for the Lions. Loyola Marymount led by as many as nine in the second half and held off Gonzaga’s late run.

LMU led 66-59 with 2:55 left after Shelton’s 3-pointer, but the Zags scored the next eight points to take 67-66 lead on Drew Timme’s free throw with 41 seconds elft. With the shot clock running down, Shelton converted a runner from just outside the lane to give the Lions the lead, and Timme’s last attempt at a winner was partly blocked by Leaupepe.

Timme led the Zags with 17 points.

NO. 3 PURDUE 61, MINNESOTA 39: Braden Smith had 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to help Purdue overwhelm host Minnesota. Zach Edey had 12 points, six rebounds and four blocks for the Big Ten-leading Boilermakers. They improved to 18-1 overall and 7-1 in the conference. This was their fifth consecutive win after taking their lone loss of the season to now-No. 23 Rutgers on Jan. 2. Joshua Ola-Joseph led the Gophers with 13 points. They are 7-10 overall and 1-6 in the Big Ten.

NO. 11 ARIZONA 81, USC 66: Courtney Ramey scored 16 points, Azoulas Tubelis had 15 points and 17 rebounds, and No. 11 Arizona used a revamped lineup to beat Southern California 81-66. Coach Tommy Lloyd changed up his starting lineup in hopes of shaking up Arizona’s struggling offense and unproductive bench. The Wildcats had a much better flow with Cedric Henderson Jr. starting and Larsson coming off the bench, racing out to a 15-point halftime lead. 

NO. 18 CHARLESTON 69, MONMOUTH 55: Reyne Smith made seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points, Dalton Bolon added 15 points and Charleston won its 19th straight with a road victory over Monmouth. The Cougars (20-1, 8-0 Colonial Athletic Association), whose 20 wins are the most in Division I, extended the nation’s longest winning streak. Charleston is ranked in the AP Top 25 poll for the third consecutive week, jumping four spots this week for its highest ranking since being No. 16 in the 1998-99 season. 

MICHIGAN ST. 70, NO. 23 RUTGERS 56: A.J. Hoggard had 16 points and seven assists to help four teammates reach double figures, lifting Michigan State over Rutgers in East Lansing. The Spartans (13-6, 5-3 Big Ten) overcame an awful start, trailing by nine in the opening minutes, to lead 36-30 at halftime and by as much as 16 points in the second half. The Scarlet Knights (13-6, 5-3 Big Ten) pulled within two points twice, but gave up seven straight points to trail 50-41 midway through the second half, ending their comeback hopes.

NO. 24 FAU 83, UTSA 64: Johnell Davis scored 14 points off the bench, Brandon Weatherspoon had 12 points and visiting Florida Atlantic won its 17th straight game by beating UTSA. Reserve Alijah Martin added 11 points and Nate Boyd had 10 for the Owls, who put the game away with a 20-4 run in the second half. FAU debuted made first-ever appearance in the AP Top 25 on Monday and beat Western Kentucky that night. The Owls are seeking their second NCAA Tournament appearance, having made it in 2002 as the Atlantic Sun Conference champions.