LOS ANGELES – When these two faced each other the first time, LMU erased an 11-point second half deficit. Not to be outdone, Loyola Marymount men's basketball (19-10, 7-8 WCC) came from behind after trailing by 20 points in the second half to top Santa Clara (15-14, 7-8) on Saturday night, 72-70.
 
"Full court pressure and we got a lot of deflections to get them out of their patterns," said Head Coach Mike Dunlap. "They are a very good shooting team, and the pressure was everywhere. The crowd deserved a lot credit and they really pushed us over the top."
 
Santa Clara opened the second half with a three to build their lead to a game high 20, before LMU used a 13-3 run to cut the deficit to 10 points capped by and and-1 by Dameane Douglas with 14:46 to play.
 
With the Broncos lead back up to 14 with 11:41 on the clock, LMU scored eight unanswered to bring it to a six-point game, 63-57, with 7:22 to play. The first and last field goals of that run were created on steals which turned into easy layups. Six of LMU's nine steals came in the second half, with Jeffery McClendon totaling a game high four on his Senior Night.
 
Once Santa Clara made it a seven-point game with 3:48 to play, the Lions closed out the game with an 11-2 run all on made free throws. James Batemon sunk three from the charity stripe in the final minute, the only player to score in that stretch, to finally put the Lions over the hump and give them their first lead since 8-7. Batemon scored 17 of his team-high 23 in the second half.
 
The two teams combined to go 23-for-23 from the free throw line to start the game with Santa Clara making their first 12 and LMU making 11-straight to open the game. The Lions finished with the most makes and attempts in a game this season for the team at  30-for-37 (81.1 percent), while the Broncos only missed once to go 95.5 percent (21-for-22) from the line.

LMU's seniors scored the team's first eight points. McClendon did his signature steal and score on the game's opening possession before Petr Herman scored back-to-back converted and-1 plays for six quick points. The Broncos then followed with 12 unanswered to build up a 19-8 lead with less than 12 minutes to play in the first half.
 
The Lions went 6:47 without a field goal before Jordan Bell drove the baseline to end the drought on his only shot attempt of the night.
 
Santa Clara ended the first half on a 6-0 run to carry a 48-31 lead into the locker room. The Broncos hit 7-of-12 threes in the first half, whereas the Lions did not find the hoop on four attempts from long range, and finished 0-9 from deep for the first time this season. The Lions limited Santa Clara to 22 points in the second half.
 
The WCC regular season still has many scenarios to determine final seeding into the Conference Championships. LMU will try to help their own cause on Saturday for the WCC Game of the Week at San Francisco. Tip is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the game will air on Spectrum Sportsnet in Los Angeles.