LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Portland Pilots jumped out to a 15-point lead early, but the Loyola Marymount Lions took control and pulled out a 78-72 victory on Friday night in the opening round of the 2018 West Coast Conference Basketball Championships at Orleans Arena. Portland ends the season at 10-22 overall, while the Lions advance and improve to 11-19.

Freshman guard Marcus Shaver Jr. led the Pilots with 17 points and four assists, while sophomore guard Josh McSwiggan added 16 points. Freshman forward Tahirou Diabate also was in double figures with 1 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Seniors Philipp Hartwich and D'Marques Tyson played their final collegiate games for the Pilots. Hartwich, Portland's all-time leader in blocked shots, was saddled with foul trouble all night and played just seven minutes. Tyson, the No. 2 three-point shooter in Pilot history and the WCC leader in three-point percentage, buried 3-of-5 triples for nine points.

Junior guard James Batemon scored 29 points to lead five Lions in double figures. Freshman forward Eli Scott added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Pilots raced out to a 22-7 lead to open the game which included four straight made three-pointers. The Lions erased nearly the entire margin with a 19-4 run, but the Pilots carried a 42-38 lead into halftime. Portland made 6-of-7 three-pointers in the first half and shot 71 percent from the field.

Batemon gave LMU its first lead of the game with a three-pointer for a 49-47 lead with 16:22 left in regulation. That was part of an 13-0 run that gave the Lions a 56-47 edge with 12:16 remaining.

The Pilots cut the deficit to 63-61 with a Tyson three-pointer, but LMU pushed the margin back to seven on a three-pointer by Zafir Williams with 4:29 remaining. The Lions were up nine with less than two minutes left when McSwiggan converted a baseline dunk and Tyson buried another three to make it 71-67 with 1:08 to go.

An intentional foul was called against the Pilots on the next possession and the Lions milked the game away with free throws.

Portland shot 54 percent from the field, made 10-of-19 three-pointers and 8-of-13 free throws. LMU was able to convert 22-of-28 free throws and finished at 47 percent overall. The Lions gained a 34-24 margin in the paint and 30-27 rebounding edge.

LMU advances to face No. 6-ranked and top-seeded Gonzaga on Saturday at 7 p.m. live on ESPN2.