NCAA Game Summary - Loyola Marymount vs. Portland
Las Vegas, NV (SportsNetwork.com) - Evan Payne scored 19 points as the Loyola Marymount Lions rallied back from a 13-point second half deficit to edge the Portland Pilots, 67-64, in the first round of the West Coast Conference Tournament at Orleans Arena.
Anthony Ireland scored 14 points on 4-of-16 shooting from the floor and handed out six assists for LMU (13-18), while Nick Stover made four of his six field goal tries and 6-of-7 at the free-throw line for 14 points. Stover and Gabe Levin grabbed seven boards apiece for the No. 10 seed Lions, who will take on the second-seeded BYU Cougars on Saturday.
For the Pilots (15-16), Thomas Van der Mars registered a double-double with 18 points and 10 boards, while Bobby Sharp also netted 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor. Ryan Nicholas recorded a double-double of his own with 13 points and 11 boards, but it was not enough for Portland, which was also upset by LMU in last season's WCC Tournament.
The Lions took a narrow, 31-30, lead into the intermission despite knocking down only 1-of-7 attempts from beyond the arc in the first half. Portland shot just 37.9 percent from the floor in the opening stanza.
Sharp opened up the scoring in the second period with a 3-pointer that put the Pilots in front and they extended their advantage to 48-35 with just over 12 minutes remaining in regulation. LMU responded with a 21-4 run that gave it a 56-52 edge at the 5:09 mark of the second period, but the lead continued to change hands until Stover made a clutch layup off an Ireland assist with only 32 seconds left to play. With Portland trailing by two points, Sharp committed a turnover on Portland's next possession and Stover sank a pair of free-throw attempts on the other end to put it out of reach.
The Lions were outscored, 21-12, from beyond the arc and also, 24-20, in the paint. Portland also enjoyed a 40-28 edge in the rebounding battle, but it was not enough to overcome its 20 turnovers which turned into 30 LMU points.