LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Four Portland players reached double figures and the Pilots held the Loyola Marymount Lions to 32 percent in a 71-58 victory Saturday in West Coast Conference action at Gersten Pavilion.
Freshman guard Joel Foxwell had 18 points, four rebounds and five assists, while backcourt mate Mikah Ballew added 17 points, including four big three-pointers. Garrett Nuckolls and James O'Donnell provided sparks off the bench with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Pilots (10-11, 3-5 WCC) led nearly start-to-finish in a dominant road victory, the team's first of the season.
Portland out-rebounded Loyola Marymount 41-35 led by nine boards from O'Donnell.
The Pilot defense also forced 15 LMU turnovers which turned into 20 points on the other end of the floor. Ballew's two steals led the way individually for the Pilots.
How it Happened
Portland jumped out early and never let up as the Pilots trailed for less than two minutes early before creating separation. An 8-2 run capped by a Foxwell runner made it 19-13 and then the Pilots exploded with a 17-0 run over more than five minutes to go ahead 36-16. The team took a 39-21 lead into halftime.
The Lions (11-10, 2-6) used an 8-0 run early in the second half to pull within 41-29 but Foxwell responded with a three-pointer. The Pilots maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Game Notes
» The Pilots shot well from three-point range, knocking down 8 of 17 long range attempts.
» The Pilots held the Lions to only 31.6 percent shooting from the field and 8 of 28 from beyond the arc.
» Portland never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» The Portland bench came alive by scoring 23 points to its scoring output.
» Freshman Dante Censori-Hercules had his second straight quality game off the bench. He grabbed seven rebounds and played lockdown defense in 26 minutes.
» Portland played just eight players, the fewest in a game this season.
» Portland gained a 24-18 advantage on points in the paint.
» This was UP's first win at LMU since Jan. 20, 2018 (72-65).
Up Next
The Pilots will return to the Chiles Center next week to host the Saint Mary's Gaels on Saturday at 5 p.m. It is a 5-0-3 promo game where fans can use promo code 503 when purchasing tickets online for a $5 ticket, free parking and $3 hotdog.
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