The 1990 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament was held March 3 and 4 at the Gersten Pavilion at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.
During the first semi-final game on Sunday between top-seeded Loyola Marymount and #4 seed Portland, LMU forward Hank Gathers collapsed with 13:34 left in the first half.
He had just scored a dunk on an alley-oop pass from point guard Terrell Lowery that put the Lions up 25–13.
Transferred to nearby Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital, Gathers was pronounced dead less than two hours later; he was 23 years old.
[4] Seeded eleventh in the West regional, the Lions won three games and advanced to the Elite Eight;[5] they lost to top seed UNLV,[6][7] the eventual national champion.