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LOS ANGELES - It wasn't pretty - the game featured 49 fouls and 44 turnovers - but LMU men's basketball will be thankful for the result as they earned a come-from-behind 66-62 win over UC Riverside in the fourth annual LMU Holiday Classic from Gersten Pavilion on Wednesday night.

The Lions erased a 13-point first-half deficit and trailed by only one at the half and then took a double digit lead themselves only to see the Highlanders (2-3) come back to within three in the final minute. In the end, it was a key block from sophomore Evan Payne and free throw shooting that got the Lions (3-2) the win.

Payne finished with a game-high 25 points, hitting 15-for-16 from the free throw line. Sophomore Matt Hayes returned to the Lions' line-up and added 16 points, hitting 4-for-6 from three. Ayodeji Egbeyemi added 11. Junior Marin Mornar had nine points, four rebounds and five blocks.

Taylor Johns led the Highlanders with 23 points and nine rebounds. Haylen Bland added 15 points and Nick Gruninger had 11 before leaving the game with his second technical foul after playing 23 minutes.

"Sometimes it just comes down to finding a way to fight through and get a win," said Head Coach Mike Dunlap. "This one was just about gutting it out and doing what we had to in the end to win. It was about heart tonight."

While Payne had his fourth 20-point game of the season, it was his block that helped the Lions secure the win. Up just three, 61-58, with 1:15 to play, Johns looked to have a clear path to the rim for a lay-up that would have cut the lead to just one. However, Payne came out of no where and swatted the ball to the backcourt where Hayes gathered the rebound.

Payne hit two free throws on the next possession with 25 seconds left and LMU finished the final 20 seconds hitting 5-for-6 from the free throw line. The Lions made the Highlanders pay from the charity stripe going 26-for-30 (86.7 percent). UC Riverside went 12-for-19 (36.7 percent). From the field, both team struggled as the Lions finished just 18-for-42 (42.9 percent), while UC Riverside with 22-for-60 (36.7 percent).

UC Riverside took an 11-2 lead early and led 25-12 with 6:18 to play after a Charles Standifer three-pointer. However, the Lions closed the half on a 18-6 run to close within 31-30 at the break. Then down 36-33, LMU went on a 10-1 run to lead 43-37 after a pair Mornar free throws with 13:46 to play.

The Lions stretched the lead to 10 several times, including a 61-51 lead with 3:18 to play after a Mornar dunk. The Highlanders posted a 7-0 run over the next two minutes to make it 61-58, setting up the final minute.

LMU concludes its non-conference home stand with UC Irvine on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 8 pm. The game can be seen on the LMU Sports Network and heard on KXLU 88.9 FM.