Loyola Fades in Late Going Again, 74-58

After watching his team fade in the stretch for the second night in a row, Loyola Marymount Coach John Olive acknowledged that the Lions’ nerves are wearing thin.

“The kids are very frustrated, and so am I,” Olive said. “But none of us are going to give in to it. We’ve got to keep refining what we do to play better at the end of games.”

That was evident again Saturday after Santa Clara used a 14-2 run to pull away for a 74-58 West Coast Conference victory at Gersten Pavilion.

On Friday night, Loyola (1-12, 0-2) blew a 16-point lead in the second half in an 82-77 loss to St. Mary’s.

Olive said fatigue played a part in both losses. The Lions are down to nine scholarship players because of injuries and ineligibility.

“I definitely think we’re tired,” he said. “That’s no excuse. Both teams played (Friday) night, but we’re a little undermanned.”

Santa Clara (9-5, 2-0), which was coming off a 54-51 victory over Pepperdine, took a 39-28 halftime lead. Freshman forward Drew Zurek gave the Broncos a lift off the bench, scoring 13 of his career-best 17 points in the first half.

Forward Wyking Jones led Loyola with 17 points and 15 rebounds.