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Loyola Marymount snaps Gonzaga's 76-game home winning streak

The Bulldogs drop their first game in Spokane in five years

NCAA Basketball: Loyola Marymount at Gonzaga
Cam Shelton scored 27 points, including the game-winner for Loyola Marymount in its upset of No. 6 Gonzaga.
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

SPOKANE, Wash. — The Gonzaga Bulldogs saw their 76-game home winning streak snapped Thursday night with a 68-67 loss to conference foe Loyola Marymount.

The Zags’ streak, which lasted five years and one day, was tied for the eighth longest in Division I history with Long Beach State (from 1968-74). Gonzaga's last home loss came against Saint Mary's back in January 2018. It's streak at The Kennel (it's on-campus arena) was 75 straight wins as the Zags also beat Kentucky at nearby Spokane Arena earlier this season to make the streak 76.

Loyola Marymount pulled of the upset in dramatic fashion thanks to Cam Shelton’s go-ahead runner in the final seconds.

The senior guard finished with a game-high 27 points and nine rebounds.

The victory marked LMU’s first win over the sixth-ranked Bulldogs on the road since 1991. It also snapped a 25-game losing streak for the Lions, who were 16.5-point underdogs, against the Zags overall.

“For us, it’s another sign that our program is moving in the right direction, and that’s the biggest thing,” Loyola Marymount coach Stan Johnson said, according to the AP.

For LMU, this win marked the program’s first victory over a top-10 team since the 1961 NCAA Tournament, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander.

Prior to Thursday's game, Gonzaga won 83 straight games against unranked opponents, the second longest streak in Division I history.

“It was going to end sometime, and it ended in a tough, hard-fought battle,” Zags coach Mark Few said. “Our guys battled back and had a shot to keep it going. ... I don’t think anybody is going to touch that (streak) for quite some time.”

Gonzaga had won its previous 116 games against WCC opponents not named Saint Mary's or BYU.

The nation's longest active win streak now belongs to Auburn, who has won 28 straight.