LOS ANGELES, Calif.- The University of Portland men’s basketball team rebounded from its losing skid with a 77-68 victory over the Loyola Marymount Lions on Mon., Jan. 12. Portland improves to 7-8 overall, 1-1 in WCC play, while LMU drops its second-straight and falls to 8-6 on the season, 0-2 in the WCC.

“Against Pepperdine we played 20 minutes,” said Head Coach Michael Holton. “Tonight we got a 40 minute effort, particularly on the defensive end.

Portland took control of the game right from the tip. Freshman Dreshawn Vance got his first collegiate start for Portland in the circle, and the Pilots came out of the gates scoring. Pooh Jeter hit his first trey of the game for a 3-0 Pilot lead with 19:01 left in the first. Portland’s inside game was on track tonight as they scored 18 points down low compared to LMU’s 10 in the paint. Early on Donald Wilson established the Pilots’ inside game, driving to the hole and racking up five first half points in just five minutes of play.

Portland opened up a 25-12 lead on a three pointer by Karl Aaker with 8:53 to go. LMU tried to make a run, but Portland continued to play within their system and scored from all over the floor. Vance recorded five consecutive points near the four-minute mark and racked up six rebounds to lead the team heading into the locker room. The Pilots largest lead of the game (17 points) came with 1:24 left in the first half on a 12-footer by Casey Frandsen. Portland maintained a 39-27 edge at the break.

In the first half, the Pilots shot 41 percent (15-36) from the floor, 30 percent (3-10) from beyond the arc and 67 percent (6-9) from the stripe. The Pilots forced nine LMU turnovers, manufacturing 15 points. Portland held LMU to just 9-of-26 from the field and 0-of-0 from three-point range. The Lions went to the line 14 times, hitting just nine.

Frandsen led Portland in the first half with 11 points, while Jeter was right behind with 10 points. Portland’s offensive output was a force to be reckoned with as seven players scored in the first half. Sherman Gay led LMU with 14 points before the break.

The Pilots came out slow in the second half, letting the Lions get back into the game. Although Portland held a 10-point advantage nearing the 13-minute mark, LMU tied the game at 47-47 two minutes later on a made free-throw by Charles Brown.

The Lions went on a 14-2 run with less than 10 minutes to go in the game, but Portland responded and took a seven point lead (61-54) on two free-throws by Adam Quick. Portland continued to lead the rest of the game and put the nail in LMU’s coffin on back-to-back steals by Donald Wilson and Dustin Geddis. With 34 seconds remaining, Wilson picked John Montgomery for a one-handed cram. Eight seconds later, Geddis did the same thing, only his was a two-handed slam at the rim. LMU scored four more points in the last 15 seconds of play, but the Pilots came out on top, 77-68.

“I was proud of the way our guys hung in there and kept it together, particularly on the defensive end of the floor,” said Holton.

For the game, the Pilots shot 45 percent (26-58) from the floor, 44 percent (7-16) from three-point range and tied a season-best 86 percent (18-21) from the free-throw line. Portland held the advantage in the paint, 32-26 and from its bench, 16-4.

Jeter once again led the Pilots, this time with 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the floor, including 5-of-6 treys. His five three-pointers tied a career-best, as he is now 48 percent (41-85) on the season in three-point field goal efficiency. Wilson had a break-out game with 19 points, hitting 6-of-11 from the field and tying a season-best 7-of-8 from the stripe. Vance led the team with a career-best 10 boards and tied a career-high eight points. It was the first time this season a Pilot player has recorded double-figures in rebounding. Frandsen also posted double-figures for Portland with 11 points on the night. Distribution was key as eight-out-of-nine Pilot players scored in tonight’s game.

“LMU is a tough team,” said Holton. “The game was a challenge and they made a run in the second half, but we kept our composure and responded well.”

LMU’s Sherman Gay led all players with 26 points and shot 10-of-13 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. Chris Ayer led the team on the boards with 10. Keith Kincade and Charles Brown added 13 points each for the Lions. LMU shot 38 percent (20-53) from the field, 14 percent (2-14) from behind the arc and 77 percent (26-34) from the stripe.

“Tonight’s win was an important one for us and I thought our kids played well,” said Holton. “We’re looking forward to heading back home to continue WCC play this week.”

Portland is back at home this week, facing Saint Mary’s College on Thurs., Jan. 15 at 7:00 p.m.