LOS ANGELES – The Lions opens the season with a win after Loyola Marymount knocked off Westcliff, 75-43, to bring in a new college basketball season.
 
LMU held Westcliff to just 27.3 percent shooting in the opening half and used a 16-0 run to take an early 16-3 lead. Joe Quintana put a cap on the early outburst with his knock down three on his only shot of the game.
 
Last year's West Coast Conference leader in steals picked up right where he left off. Jeffery McClendon added two swipes, including one for a fast break layup to push the lead to 15, 25-10, with 5:17 to play.
 
The Warriors committed 20 turnovers on the night which resulted in 24 points off turnovers, compared to just nine allowed.
 
The largest lead of the first half came in the final minute as freshman Dameane Douglas put LMU up 20 with a fast break layup. LMU shined on the run, outscoring Westcliff 8-2 in fast breaks.
 
The lead continued to grow in the second half to as much as 36, on a play where senior James Batemon stole the loose pass for the coast-to-coast dunk. Batemon finished with a game-high 11 points.
 
Cameron Allen went 4-for-6 and McClendon shot 3-for-5 to both hit the double-digit mark.
 
Second chance points were a key difference maker as LMU benefitted from 17 second chance points and allowed just two. Five of Petr Herman's six rebounds were on the offensive glass, and Mattias Markusson added half of his six rebounds on the o-board.
 
The Lions will leave the Bluff for the first time on Saturday to face a UNLV team that has yet to open their season. The Rebels and Lions square off on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. in Las Vegas.