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LOS ANGELES - Playing against the favorite in the Big West Conference, all the little details mattered and it proved too much for LMU down the stretch as UC Irvine claimed an 80-72 win at Gersten Pavilion Saturday night.

In a much cleaner game that Wednesday night, the teams combined for just 20 turnovers, a season-low nine for the Lions. However, it was shooting that proved big as the Anteaters finished they game hitting 53.4 percent while the Lions hit 43.5 percent.

"In a game against a team as talented as UC Irvine is, the little details can have a huge impact," said Head Coach Mike Dunlap. "We missed nine free throws and that played a big factor."

The Lions, who went 26-for-30 on Wednesday night from the charity stripe, went 10-for-19 (52.5 percent) while the Anteaters with 12-for-20.

"They have done a good job at UC Irvine and they showed they are further along as a program than we are," said Dunlap. "Their experience was really key down the stretch. We did some positive things and have a lot of good points to grow from."

Evan Payne had his fifth 20-point game, leading all scorers with 23 points. Simon Krajcovic came off the bench to score 12 with nine assists and no turnovers, and Ayodeji Egbeyemi added 10. Patson Siame had nine points and 10 rebounds for the Lions (3-3). Mamadou Ndiaye and Travis Souza netted career highs of 21 and 16 points, respectively, for the Anteaters (3-2). Will Davis II added a double-double for the Anteaters with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Alex Young hit a three-pointer with 14:27 to play in the first half to give the Anteaters a 17-8 lead. The lead grew to 12 , 22-10, with 11:54 to play on another Young three-pointers. UC Irvine finished 6-for-15 from long range (40 percent).

LMU posted a 21-7 run to cut the lead to a pair, 31-29 on Payne free throws. A three-point play by Payne with 2:51 to play in the half tied the game at 39-39. A 5-0 run capped by Ndiaye's lay-up with four seconds to play put the score at 44-39 at the break.

From there UC Irvine showed their experience and kept the Lions at arms length. Matt Hayes hit one of the Lions' eight three-pointers to make it 61-58 with 8:41 to play. LMU finished 8-for-20 (40 percent) from three.

However, back-to-back buckets by Ndiaye pushed the lead back to seven and secured the win.

The Lions wrap-up play at home for the non-conference portion of the schedule and big a six-game stretch away from home. It starts with a trip to USC on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Tip-off is set for 7 pm and the game can be seen on the Pac-12 network and heard on KXLU 88.9 FM.