LONG BEACH, Calif. – LMU men's basketball erased a nine-point second half deficit thanks in large part to an 8-0 run and a 12-0 run that came one after another the combined 20-3 stretch over seven-plus minutes in the second half helped LMU earn the road win and defeat Long Beach State, 77-74.
 
Both Dameane Douglas and Joe Quintana scored in double figures in the second half to help the Lions win as Douglas scored 15 of his 19 after halftime on a perfect 4-for-4 mark from the field and seven made free throws on eight attempts. The Lions hit 17-of-18 free throws in the second half and 19-of-22 overall.
 
The 8-0 run opened with back-to-back threes from Cam Shelton and Alex Merkviladze, and a fastbreak layup by Eli Scott to push LMU ahead 48-47.
 
After LBSU converted a three-point play, Douglas answered with the next six points to give the lead back to the Lions, 54-50. Quintana and Merkviladze followed with back-to-back threes to give LMU a double-digit lead with 7:49 to play.
 
The Beach used an 8-0 run of their own to cut their deficit to two. The home team would tie the score with both 4:54 and 3:49 remaining, but LMU provided a response each time, including a layup by Quintana as part of his game-high 20 points, and a three-point play by Douglas.
 
LMU shot a season-high 30 three pointers in the game, making 10. The Lions shot 20 first half threes, knocking down six. Comparatively, seven of LBSU's 11 threes fell for the home team.
 
The Beach opened the game with an 8-2 lead, which they held until LMU went on a 9-0 run of three consecutive threes. Kwane Marble II, Joe Quintana, and Lamaj Lewis teamed up to turn a three-point deficit into a three-point lead, 16-13, at the 11:01 mark.
 
After the lead disappeared, Quintana hit another three at the 4:28 mark to push the Lions back on top, 25-23. The Beach closed the half on a 14-5 run from that point to carry a 37-30 lead at intermission.
 
The game featured seven ties and seven lead changes.
 
Both Merkviladze and Marble finished with their highest scoring outputs since transferring in to LMU.
 
Scott finished with a double-double for the 23^rd time in his LMU career, grabbing 10 rebounds to go along with his 12 points.
 
The Lions will remain on the road, playing at Tulsa on Tuesday night. The game will air on ESPNU.