PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland extended its winning streak to four games with a 66-63 victory over the Loyola Marymount Lions in a West Coast Conference matchup Saturday night at the Chiles Center. The Pilots had a 14-point lead evaporate late as LMU's Evan Payne made a few remarkable shots in the closing minutes, but ultimately Portland held on.

The Pilots (16-10, 7-7 WCC) move into sole possession of fifth place in the WCC standings with four games remaining on the regular season schedule. The Lions (8-19, 4-11) fall to ninth place in the league standings.

Saturday's game was another great defensive effort by Portland, which held its fourth consecutive opponent under 40 percent shooting from the field.

Despite having a comfortable lead for a majority of the night, the Pilots struggled to close out Payne and the Lions. A three-pointer by Portland freshman Jason Todd gave the Pilots a 56-46 lead with 2:42 remaining. The teams traded some free throws and UP appeared in control with a nine-point lead and 1:14 left.

Payne then hit three consecutive contested three-pointers over a 35-second stretch to cut the lead to 61-58 with 21 seconds remaining. His layup with 3.2 second left made it 65-61 and then Portland's home run pass went out of bounds and gave LMU the ball back under their hoop.

Payne took the inbounds pass on the left wing, drew a foul and threw up a three-pointer that went in-and-out. He made the first two free throws and intentionally missed the third, but Todd grabbed the rebounded and was fouled with 0.6 ticks on the clock. He made one of two free throws and Payne was unable to get a good look as time expired.

LMU's sophomore guard scored 14 of his game-high 23 points in the final 56 seconds of regulation. He was the only Lion to finish in double figures.

Portland was led by senior guard Kevin Bailey's 14 points, while senior forward Volodymyr Gerun and junior guard Bryce Pressley had 13 each.

LMU shot 39 percent from the field, while the Pilots finished at 40 percent overall. Portland outrebounded its fourth straight opponent, gaining a 36-34 margin on the boards.

The Pilots trail Pepperdine by half a game for fourth place in the WCC standings and will look to continue their late season run with a road trip to Saint Mary's and Pacific next week. Portland will face the second-place Gaels on Thursday at 8 p.m. and then visit Pacific on Saturday at 7 p.m.

GIF HIGHLIGHTS:


Kevin Bailey scored 11 points in the second half, none more exciting than this huge alley-oop off the assist from Bryce Pressley.


Pressley went 4-6 from outside on the night, hitting three in the first half - including this one - to lead the Pilots with nine points heading into the break.
 

Voldy Gerun had a strong all-around game for the Pilots, netting 13 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and collecting a pair of steals and blocks. This steal and And-1 came in the first half. 
 

Jason Todd hit a crucial three pointer later in the second half to stop an LMU run, off an incredible assist from Alec Wintering. He finished with six points, four rebounds, and four assists.