LOS ANGELES –
Dameane Douglas and
Joe Quintana scored career-highs to keep LMU unbeaten at home. The Lions (3-3) evened their overall record and evened the season-series with UCSB (3-1), handing the Gauchos their first loss of the season, 81-76.
Douglas scored 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting and Quintana added 22 with five made threes. The pair each scored double-digits in the second half. The last time two Lions this season, with
Keli Leaupepe and
Parker Dortch completing the feat back in January last season.
The Lions shot a season-best 52.8 percent (28-53) from the field, topping the 51.8 percent shot in the last outing on The Bluff.
LMU held the lead for the entirety of the first half, using an 8-0 run to push, 31-20, with 6:09 remaining on the clock.
Jalin Anderson's three at the end of the run put the Lions up by a game-high 11 points.
UCSB answered with 10-unanswerd points later in the half to tie the game at 33-33, but LMU pushed back ahead to take a 42-38 lead into the half.
The Gauchos took their first lead of the game on an and-1 with 12:21 remaining, but LMU jumped back ahead with an
Ivan Alipiev triple.
After falling behind by two, at 8:44 left in the game,
Eli Scott tied the game at the rim to start a 10-1 run that solidified the victory for the Lions. The Gauchos would come within two point the rest of the way, but the Lions put them away to earn the home win.
LMU held the lead for over 36 minutes of game action, compared to 34 seconds for UCSB.
Kodye Pugh made his first appearance as a Lion, returning from an injury that occurred over a year ago prior to the 2019-20 season while playing with Stanford.
The Lions are scheduled to play twice next week against another set of Big West teams. LMU hosts UC Irvine on Thursday, then welcomes Cal Poly to Gersten Pavilion on Saturday. Both games will tip at 6 p.m.
