LOS ANGELES – James Batemon went the length of the court to bury the game-winning layup and give Loyola Marymount men's basket an 11-1 record for the first time in program history. Batemon's 30 points tied his career-best as LMU defeated Boise State (4-7) at home, 70-69.
 
"Everybody knows who he is and they are dogging him, so that's a hard 30, it's not an easy 30," said Head Coach Mike Dunlap. "There's only one James, but we would like to have two."
 
Batemon scored 20 points in the first half, on 6-for-10 shooting, but none will be more memorable than the final basket.
 
The Broncos took their first lead of the second half with 6.3 seconds remaining, part of a 10-2 run down the stretch. Batemon received the inbounds pass and went coast-to-coast to get into the paint and tie his career-high.
 
The Lions had an 11-point advantage at halftime. LMU pushed a 28-24 game to a 36-24 advantage following 10-straight points with 5:08 to play in the opening half. The largest lead in the first half was 13 points, which was reached on the second of two consecutive Mattias Markusson baskets.
 
LMU shot 50 percent (14-for-28) from the field in the opening half, but finished at a 41.8 (23-for-55) mark. LMU shot 87.5 percent (14-for-16) from the free throw line, including a perfect 10-for-10 mark from Batemon. Boise State's 53.3 mark is the best an opponent shot against the Lions this season.
 
The Broncos outscored LMU in the second half, but their largest lead was only two points, coming back in the opening two minutes of the game. A Joe Quintana triple ended an early 7-0 run to start the second half, but Boise State did tie the score at 49-all with 11:33 to play. Quintana finished with a career-high 17 points, his second-straight game setting a new personal mark.
 
"He gives us that second scorer from the perimeter," said Dunlap. "Mattias continues to be steady, and I thought that Zafir Williams did some things that are not on the stat sheet. I thought that Erik Johansson filled in brilliantly."
 
The Lions tied their season-high with 10 made threes, with Quintana accounting for half, all while committing a season-low six turnovers.
 
"Our league is going to be a lot of one or two possessions games, so I think this is a confidence builder for us," said Dunlap. "We're accruing a record that helps our confidence."
 
LMU's next test comes on the road Saturday. The Lions face UC Riverside in a 2 p.m. contest.