SPOKANE, Wash., -- The Loyola Marymount women's basketball team concluded its last game of the regular season with a dominating first half and a hard-fought battle second half, resulting in a heartbreaking 68-58 loss against No. 16 Gonzaga. 
 
The Lions (17-13, 10-8) put the ranked Bulldogs to the test for the entire first half. Gonzaga made the first basket of the game, but the Lions quickly responded, as Chelsey Gipson made the first basket for the Lions to tie things up. 
 
Jasmine Jones then made a basket to take the lead, which the Lions held onto for the rest of the quarter. LMU left the first quarter up 16-14.
 
It wasn't until the second quarter when the Bulldogs tied things up at 16-16, but the Lions took the lead right back after Cierra Belvin hit a three-point shot. The Lions went on a 10-3 run and took their largest lead of the game. LMU ended the half up 32-25. 
 
Gonzaga came back out in the second half with more momentum, as the teams were neck and neck all quarter, staying within 1-3 points of each other most of the third. There were three lead changes and two ties; the Lions left the third down 51-48. 
 
The Lions continued to fight during the fourth quarter, but started to lose momentum after Jasmine Jones and Bree Alford fouled out. Gonzaga came out with a 68-58 win over the Lions and winning the West Coast Conference title for the 2019 season. 
 
Gabby Green led the team in points and assists with 15 and nine, while Gipson had 14 points and led in assists with five. Jones and Belvin had 10 points a piece. 
 
The Lions out-shot the Bulldogs from the free-throw line, as LMU shot 78. 3 percent, while Gonzaga shot 69.2 percent. The Lions also led in rebounds 36-32 and had 12 total assists and shot 34.6 percent from the field. 
 
The Lions' 10-8 conference finish secures them as the No. 5 seed, which gives them the first round bye in the West Coast Conference Tournament. The Lions will start their stint in the conference tournament on Friday, March 8.