LOS ANGELES – With 18 points in the game, LMU junior Scott became the 36^th Lion to reach the 1,000-point milestone. Scott led the team with a game-high sharing 18 points to hit 1,001 career points in his 83 career games.
 
Similar to the first meeting between the two schools, LMU (8-17, 2-9 WCC) and BYU (20-7, 9-3 WCC) played a tight first half that ended with a five-point game after 20 minutes. In Thursday night's edition of the rivalry, the Cougars hit 45 percent from three to take the game, 77-54.
 
The first half was full of runs. Lazar Zivanovic opened the game with an opening-minute layup and Parker Dortch made it a 4-0 game with a basket of his own. After BYU tied the score at 4-all, Keli Leaupepe and Scott were the next set of Lions to combine for back-to-back baskets to push LMU back ahead 8-4.
 
The Cougars took their first lead with an 8-0 run, but Leaupepe and Ivan Alipiev scored consecutive baskets to tie the score back up at 12-apiece, then Leaupepe knocked down a pair of free throws to put the home team back on top. Three straight triples by three different Cougars switched the lead back to BYU, 21-14, with 6:59 to play.
 
Later in the half, three straight buckets by Scott, Zivanovic, and Jordan Bell made it a one-point game, 23-22, but BYU score six unanswered of their own to follow. The Cougars closed the half on a 9-3 run to take a 32-24 lead at intermission.
 
Leaupepe single-handedly scored the first five points coming out of the break, to bring it back to a one-possession game, 32-29. BYU then went on a 23-4 run to extend their lead to 20-plus.
 
The Lions had one more 7-0 run in them, but LMU hit 52.2 percent (12-for-23) of their threes in the second half to pull away for the comfortable win.
 
LMU pounded the paint, outscoring the Cougars, 34-12, in the key.
 
Erik Johansson grabbed a career-high seven rebounds in the loss.
 
The Lions will begin a three-game road trip at Santa Clara on Saturday afternoon. The game is scheduled to tip at 2 p.m.