Omar Samhan led a balanced Saint Mary's offense with 19 points and 13 rebounds Saturday as the Gaels defeated Loyola Marymount 85-67.
Mickey McConnell added 16 points and six assists for Saint Mary's (19-3, 6-1 West Coast), which won its fourth straight game. Matthew Dellavedova and Ben Allen added 15 points each.
That was enough to overcome the Loyola Marymount duo of Drew Viney and Kevin Young, who had 27 points each and accounted for 81 percent of the Lions' scoring output. Loyola (11-12, 2-5) shot only 38 percent (23 for 60) from the field and 50 percent (15 for 30) from the free-throw line.
Saint Mary's, which never trailed in the game, was on top 45-30 at halftime and led by as many as 23 in the second half. The Gaels shot 45.6 percent (31 of 68) from the field, including 12 of 27 3-point attempts.
