LOS ANGELES, Calif. (December 18) -- The heartbreakers continue for the Loyola Marymount men's basketball team, as the Lions fell to Long Beach State 57-54 in a non-conference game Monday night at Gersten Pavilion.
The Lions fell down early, thanks to the 49ers' Ramel Lloyd, who finished with 20 points, and Travis Reed, who added 13.
"You cannot win at this level by committing 18 turnovers in the first half," said Lions' head coach Steve Aggers. "Once we settled down, we showed more composure and played very hard." The Lions finished the game with 24 turnovers, but held the 49ers to 57 points, 21 below their season average.
"Our defense played very well tonight, and we continue to get better," said Aggers. "This was heartbreaking for the players because it was a game we could have won. We are competing hard and we have to learn how to win."
The 49ers (6-4) led 28-12 with 2:13 left in the first half before the Lions (3-6) went on a 25-4 run, capped by Philipp Czernin's dunk, to take a 37-32 lead with 10:52 remaining in the game. Lloyd responded by scoring 13 of the 49ers' next 16 points, capped by a 3-point basket from the left wing, to tie the game 48-48 with 6:08 left.
"One of the big stories of this game is that one player scored 20 of the team's 57 points," said Aggers. "He is a very good player and moves well to get the ball."
Junior Robert Davis' 3-point basket from the left corner gave the Lions a 54-51 lead with 2:20 remaining, but Reed made two consecutive lay-ups, the latter with 20 seconds left, to give the 49ers a 55-54 lead. LMU's Marcus Smith missed a 10-foot jumper with three seconds left and the rebound went out-of-bounds to Long Beach State. Ron Johnson made a layup at the buzzer for the final points.
Davis scored 18 points for the Lions, all in the second half including a career-high five 3-point baskets, and reserve center Greg Lakey added 10 points and three steals.
The Lions outrebounded the 49ers 41-29, but shot just 34.6 percent from the field (18-of-52). The 49ers shot just 41.5 percent from the field (22-53), but made eight of their last 10 field-goal attempts. The game featured seven lead changes, including five in the final 5:23, and five ties.
The Lions travel to Chicago to play Loyola of Chicago on Thursday, December 21 at 5:00 PST. The Lions next home game will be Saturday, January 6, against San Diego State. Game time is scheduled for 7:00.
