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PORTLAND, Ore. - Down five with 52 seconds to play, LMU men's basketball turned up the defensive pressure and put themselves in yet another buzzer-beater.

LMU forced Portland into three turnovers the final 90 seconds, used a 6-0 run in the final minute and used a reverse lay-up by Brandon Brown with five seconds on the clock to claim a 79-78 win at Portland in West Coast Conference action Saturday night.

LMU (9-8, 2-4) was led by Steven Haney Jr. with 18 points, including a 4-for-5 effort from three. Brandon Brown had 16 points with Buay Tuach adding 15 points and eight rebounds. Shamar Johnson chipped in 11 with a team-best nine rebounds.

Portland (9-8, 2-3) was led by Alex Wintering with 22 points in playing all 40 minutes. Jazz Johnson added 14 and Rashad Jackson scored 11.

The Lions found themselves in their ninth game of the season to be decided in the final 10 seconds and their fourth one-point decision. And Brown, for the second time on the season, came up with the clutch shot.

Johnson hit a three-pointer with 52 seconds left to give Portland a 78-73 lead. The Lions came right back and Brown scooped in a lay-up that cut it to 78-75 with 44 seconds left. Following the basket, Tuach stripped Johnson of the ball and looked to storm in for a dunk. He missed, but Brown came-up with the offensive board. His three-pointer was off, but once again an offensive board kept the Lions in the game as Kelvin Amayo was there to clean-up and cut the lead to one, 78-77.

On the following inbound, Johnson pushed off Tuach and was called for an offensive foul, giving the ball back to the Lions with 26 seconds left. With five seconds on the clock, Brown drove the lane and his acrobatic reverse lay-in gave LMU the 79-78 lead.

Wintering drove the length of the court, but his jumper was blocked by Shamar Johnson to give the Lions yet another one-point win.

GAMEDAY STORYLINES

• LMU hit 17-for-30 from the field in the second half (56.7 percent), lifting them to a 30-for-57 effort for the game (52.8 percent). The Lions held Portland to 42.1 percent from the field (24-for-57). LMU finished 9-for-21 from three (42.9 percent) while Portland was 6-for-13. The Lions improve to 8-2 when holding a team under 45 percent for the game.

• The Lions finished with a 36-32 edge in point in the paint and a 36-30 edge in rebounds. They had 12 offenisve rebounds, including five from Jovanovic. Portland hit 24-for-28 from the free throw line while the Lions struggled, going just 10-for-22.

FROM COACH DUNLAP

"It's nice to improve to get another one-point win," said Head Coach Mike Dunlap. "A very gutty win. For us to come back and fight to the end and come away with a win after struggling the way we did on Thursday is a statement to this team's heart. It was all defense at the end that got us the win."

"It is very rare to struggle the way we did at the free throw line on the road and leave with a win. We are very fortunate. We showed a lot of heart. Brandon Brown was huge, obviously. Buay Tuach played a huge all around game for us. Steve had his best game of the year when we needed him and Shamar was enormous for us on the glass. It was all around a really solid effort and we found a way."

UP NEXT

The Lions will return home to take on San Diego on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7 pm. It is the annual Loyolan Bobblehead Night and the game is sponsored by the Runway of Playa Vista. Get tickets today for the Lions taking on the Toreros at Hanks House.

GAMEDAY PHOTOS