LOS ANGELES – As Loyola Marymount men's basketball continues to win, the program continues to mark new firsts. Not only is a 7-0 start to a season a university record, but seven-consecutive wins at any point in a season has not happened since 1991. The Lions (7-0) beat Florida A&M, 71-63, at home on Saturday night.
 
"Just the fact that Dameane is a freshman and can bring a little bit of spice to the soup, so to speak," said Head Coach Mike Dunlap. "He has a defensive prowess to him too where he can match up with a one or play a four so he gives us a lot of flexibility defensively."
 
The game's first basketball was a tip slam off Dameane Douglas' offensive rebound. The rebound and score was a sign of things to come as the freshman recorded his first-career double-double. His 17 points were a personal-best and his 10 rebounds match his career-high he set two games ago against Ohio in the Jamaica Classic.
 
After FAMU tied the score at 4-all, James Batemon knocked down a triple for his only field-goal of the first half to make it a 7-4 game. Despite only one made field goal before intermission, Batemon led all scorers in the opening 20 minutes thanks to a perfect 9-for-9 mark from the free throw line.
 
His free throw shooting put an end to a FAMU 8-0 run that put the Rattlers ahead, 16-12, and sparked a 14-0 run of their own to retake the lead, 26-16. FAMU responded to make it a six-point game at the break, with LMU leading, 30-24.
 
The Lions came out of the locker room hitting 7-of-9 shots to start the second half including threes from Ivan Alipiev and Joe Quintana to push the lead to as high as 15 points.
 
Florida A&M cut it to three points with 7:22 and again with 6 minutes remaining, but timely timely plays down the stretch secured the win for the Lions.
 
Batemon finished with four of his five second-half field goals coming off layup drives. The senior captain finished with a game-high 24 points and a perfect 11-for-11 clip from the line.
 
"That's that dirty little secret in terms of him getting his free throws because it allows him, even when they are denying his touches to get those easy baskets. He shoots 80 percent-plus from the free throw line, so those are some of the most powerful points in the game," said Dunlap on Batemon's ability to get to the free throw line.

Mattias Markusson was a perfect 4-for-4 after intermission as well and totaled eight points of his 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, and three blocks in the second half alone.
 
As a team, LMU shot 50 percent from the field and dished out 16 assists, both the second-highest single-game totals this year.
 
The Lions complete all games against 2018 Jamaica Classic opponents with a 4-0 record.
 
Thursday night is the next opportunity to see the men's basketball team in action as they host Bethesday at 7 p.m. in Gersten Pavilion. The Lions then travel across town to face UCLA in Westwood on Dec. 2.