Loyola Takes On Azusa Pacific in Bid for 7 in Row

Two streaking basketball teams will meet at 7:30 tonight in Gersten Pavilion when Loyola Marymount plays Azusa Pacific, and that doesn’t bode well for the visitors. Loyola (9-3) has won six straight games and is coming off its most impressive trip of the season, with victories over Marquette and Wisconsin Green Bay.

Azusa Pacific (2-12), meanwhile, has lost eight in a row. The Cougars will take several problems into the game besides the losing streak. Their season has been characterized by turnover trouble and long offensive lapses.

Another problem for Azusa Pacific, a National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics school, as it tries to keep up with the Lions’ 106-points-a-game average, will be the loss of guard Danny Scott. The team’s third-leading scorer was declared academically ineligible this week.

The Cougars are led by senior center Bill Des Rochers, the school’s No. 3 career scorer. He is averaging 20.9 points and 8.8 rebounds a game. Junior guard Mark Moses, a transfer from U.S. International, is averaging 18.6 points.

Going into their last nonconference game, the Lions are led by Hank Gathers with 23.3-point and 8.6-rebound averages. Corey Gaines is averaging 18.7 points and 9.2 assists.