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Gonzaga Basketball

No. 7 Gonzaga shakes off slow start, thumps LMU 82-47

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Warley (8) reacts during the first half of a college basketball game against the LMU (CA) Lions on Sunday, Jan 4, 2026, at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Warley (8) reacts during the first half of a college basketball game against the LMU (CA) Lions on Sunday, Jan 4, 2026, at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
By Theo Lawson The Spokesman-Review

Mark Few shook up his starting lineup for the eighth time this season Sunday night against Loyola Marymount, but the contributions No. 7 Gonzaga got from a deep bench unit made the biggest difference in an 82-47 runaway victory over the visiting Lions.

Gonzaga’s starters accounted for 29 points, but nine bench players combined to add 53 more as the Zags picked up their ninth consecutive win and stayed unbeaten (4-0) in West Coast Conference play.

For just the third time all season, but second time in as many games, Gonzaga faced a double-digit deficit in the first half after LMU went up 14-4 with just under 14 minutes remaining.

Spurred by a unit that included just one starter, Braden Huff, and four subs – Tyon Grant-Foster, Jalen Warley, Mario Saint-Supery and Adam Miller – the Zags rattled off 15 consecutive points, stealing a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Gonzaga closed the game on a 78-33 run, holding LMU scoreless for long stretches in both the first and second half. The Lions followed an 8-minute, 53-second scoring drought in the first half with an 8-minute, 5-second dry spell in the second.

Both teams were sluggish on offense in the first half, but Gonzaga recovered in the second to finish 36 of 67 from the field. The Zags were 1 of 9 from the 3-point line to start, but steadily improved there, too, finishing 6 of 20.

Matters mostly got worse for LMU, which finished the game shooting 19 of 63 from the field and 6 of 23 from the 3-point line.

Four Gonzaga players finished in double figures, led by Graham Ike, who had 16 points on 7 of 12 from the field and pulled down seven rebounds. Saint-Supery (13 points), Warley (12) and Miller (11) also reached double digits for GU, combining to go 15 of 20 from the field. Warley matched Ike for the team lead in rebounds with seven.

After wrapping up a stretch of four games in eight games, Gonzaga (16-1, 4-0) gets a three-day break before returning to the court Thursday to host Santa Clara (13-4, 4-0). The Zags and Broncos are just two of three unbeaten teams in conference play. Santa Clara won its fourth straight WCC game on Sunday, beating San Diego 98-70.