PORTLAND, Ore. – Max Mackinnon collected 29 points and Vukasin Masic added 21 as the Portland men's basketball team defeated the Loyola Marymount Lions 89-78 Saturday night at Chiles Center. The Pilots have now won three of their last four games and improve to 10-17 overall and 5-9 in West Coast Conference play. The Lions fall to 15-12 and 7-8 in league games.
The Pilots had four players score in double figures, led by Mackinnon, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Masic tacked on 21 points and nine rebounds and Chris Austin chipped in with 17 points. Freshman forward Austin Rapp filled the stat sheet with 14 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots.
Much like Thursday's home win against Oregon State, the Pilots nearly led from start-to-finish and pulled away down the stretch.
Portland shot an efficient 44 percent from the field and was 11-for-25 from three-point range, while LMU finished at 45 percent overall and 7-of-28 from beyond the arc.
How It Happened
After falling behind 9-5, Portland went on an 8-0 run with 16:16 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Masic, to take a 13-9 lead. Rapp's jumper and two free throws from Bol Dengdit gave Portland its largest lead of the half at 25-13, but Mackinnon was forced to the locker room after taking an elbow to the face and LMU took advantage. The Lions used a 13-2 run to pull within one before the Pilots took a 32-31 into halftime.
LMU tied the game twice early in the second period before a Masic triple and Austin jumper made it 46-40. Consecutive three-pointers from Mackinnon and another by Masic pushed the lead to 59-49 midway through the second half. The Lions pulled within 69-62 before Rapp buried a corner three and Austin hit another jumper to push the margin back to double digits. LMU got no closer than nine in the closing minutes as Portland was efficient from the free line to secure the victory.
Game Notes
» The Pilots shot well from three point range, knocking down 11 of 25 long range attempts.
» Portland never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Portland tallied 18 total assists in the game and just nine turnovers.
» LMU only had two turnovers but finished with only nine assists.
» Max Mackinnon, Vukasin Masic, and Chris Austin combined to account for 75 percent of the Pilots points.
» Portland had a 37-34 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Pilots were 18-for-21 at the foul line compared to just 3-for-6 for LMU.
» Max Mackinnon recorded his sixth 20-point game of the year and fourth in WCC play.
» Vukasin Masic had his third 20-point game this season and first since Dec. 1.
» Masic's nine rebounds were also a season high.
» Austin Rapp's six assists were a season high while he blocked at least three shots for the fourth time.
» Rapp has now hit at least one three-pointer in 25 of the 26 games he has played this year.
» Portland's starting lineup played the entire second half as Mackinnon dropped 21 points after intermission.
» Caleb Stone-Carrawell finished with a team-high 18 points for the Lions.
Up Next
Portland hits the road for a pair of games next week. The Pilots visit WCC-leading Saint Mary's on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and then face the Pacific Tigers Saturday at 4 p.m. Live coverage links for both games are available at PortlandPilots.com.
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