No. 3 Gonzaga 72, Loyola Marymount 55: Gary Bell Jr. led all scorers with 17 points as the visiting Bulldogs got off to a fast start against the Lions en route to their 11th straight victory.

Kevin Pangos contributed 16 points and six assists for Gonzaga (18-1, 7-0 WCC), which eclipsed the 2012-13 Bulldogs for the best start in school history. Byron Wesley added 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals while Kyle Wiltjer chipped in with 12 points and five assists as Gonzaga went 10-of-22 beyond the arc and recorded assists on 20 of its 25 field goals.

Ayodeji Egbeyemi finished with 14 points to pace Loyola Marymount (5-14, 1-6), which has dropped 11 straight in this series. Petr Herman and Evan Payne tallied 11 points apiece as the Lions shot 30 percent from the field, marking the third time this season they have hit 30 percent or less of their field-goal attempts.

Wesley and Wiltjer combined for 11 early points as Gonzaga scored the first 14 points. The duo each knocked down a 3-pointer after Loyola Marymount got its first bucket as the Bulldogs led 20-2 less than six minutes into the game. The Lions rallied within 11 on several occasions in the first half, settling for that same deficit at intermission when they clawed out of another 18-point hole with a 7-0 spurt.

Egbeyemi hit a pair of second-half jumpers to continue the comeback attempt and draw Loyola Marymount within seven before Bell and Pangos each drained a 3-pointer to spark a 10-2 spurt and give Gonzaga a 54-39 advantage midway through the second half. The Lions’ Marin Mornar hit a pair of free throws to halt the surge, but Bell and Wesley fueled a 9-2 spurt to push the Bulldogs’ lead to 20.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Gonzaga has won each of the last seven meetings by double figures. … Loyola Marymount has dropped five in a row to top-25 foes since winning at St. Mary’s on Feb. 15, 2012, with four of the losses coming against the Bulldogs. … Pangos passed Richie Frahm (280) for second place on the Bulldogs’ 3-point list with 283 and finished one point shy of tying him (1,621) for 10th place on the school’s all-time scoring list.