Jan. 14, 2011

Box Score

PORTLAND, Ore. - For the second straight meeting, LMU and Portland found themselves in overtime, this time in double overtime. In the end, the Pilots would outlast the Lions in a thriller, 79-78, at the Chiles Center in Portland, Ore., on Thursday night.

Drew Viney scored 20 of his 24 points after the break, adding seven rebounds for the Lions (8-9, 1-2). Luke Sikma matched Viney with 24 points, adding 10 rebounds, and scoring eight points in overtime for the Pilots (13-4, 1-1).

"We showed no quit tonight," said Head Coach Max Good. "We didn't get the win, but we put everything we had on the floor for 50 minutes. We really played great lock down defense and really dug in tonight."

Anthony Ireland added 15 points and Edgar Garibay went for 10 for the Lions. Jarred Stohl added 15, Nemanja Mitrovic had 14 and Kramer Knutson scored 12 for the Pilots.

The Lions forced Stohl and Mitrovic to find alternate ways to score. Entering the game the best three-point shooting team in the nation at 45 percent, the Lions held the Pilots to just 33 percent from long range. Stohl and Mitrovic entered the game averaging better than 52 percent, but combined to shooting just 6-for-17 (35 percent).

"We really forced them to find other ways to score," said Good. "However, they are such good shooters they hit some key shots at key moments. But defensively, this was one of our better efforts."

Viney would score the first bucket of the second overtime frame, but the Pilots would score the next five points, four by Sikma to take a three-point lead. They would stretch the ead to five, 75-70, on a pair of free throws by Sikma.

Like they had all night, the Lions were finished. Hamilton cut the lead to three with 31 to play, and after Portland went 1-for-2 from the line, Viney hit a three-pointer to cut it to one, 76-75, with 19 seconds left.

Portland went 1-for-2 from the line again to take a 77-75 lead with 13 to play. Viney then had the same look he had at the end of regulation with seven seconds but the shot was just long. Stohl hit two free throws to give them a key four-point lead, as Ireland would hit a three-pointer at the buzzer for the final margin.

"We played a full 50 minutes tonight," said Good.

The Lions opened the game hitting just 3-for-10 from the field to trail by five early. However, they responded by hitting seven of their next 10 shots and Godwin Okonji's lay-in with 2:10 to play in the half game the Lions a 30-21 lead.

Portland would score the final five points of the half to cut the lead to 30-26 at the break. The Lions would finish the first half hitting 50 percent from the field.

The push at the end of the half would kick start a 20-2 run that would be capped by Mitrovic's three-pointer with 14:24 to play to give the Pilots a 41-32 lead.

The Lions would shoot just 2-for-16 in the first eight minutes of the half and Portland would get the lead to as many as 10, 47-37, in the process. The Lions shot just 21.9 percent in the second half and finished the game hitting 36.6 percent. Portland hit 41.3 percent.

But the Lions would not go away. The Lions defense would hold Portland without a field goal for nearly six minutes and in the process would post a 10-0 run of their own as Viney's free throws with 6:01 tied the game at 47-47.

Portland would then hit on three straight long balls to take a 58-51 lead with 2:50 on the clock.

The Lions weren't done as a Viney's three-pointer from the left corner completed a 10-0 run in the final two minutes to give the Lions a 60-58 lead with six seconds to play. However, Stohl was fouled on the Pilots trip down the floor and he hit both free throws with two seconds to play to send the game to overtime.

After Ireland scored the opening bucket of the first overtime, the Pilots scored the next four to take a 64-62 lead. Ireland would then give the Lions a one-point lead, 65-64, on a three-pointer with 46 seconds to play. Sikma answered with a five-footer to give Portland the lead right back, 66-65.

Then Edgar Garibay hit one of two free throws to tie it at 66-66 with 19 to play and Portland would not hit on the next possession to set-up the second overtime.

The Lions continue their road trip to Gonzaga on Saturday, Jan. 15 at 5 p.m.