TULSA, Okla. – LMU opened the second half on a 17-2 run to flip a halftime deficit and help put the Lions in a position to knock off Tulsa on the road. LMU ended up using a 9-2 run to close out the game and earn the win, 60-55.
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The Lions were carried by the play of
Eli Scott and
Dameane Douglas, who both finished with double-doubles. Scott and Douglas combined for 37 points and 22 rebounds, with Scott adding an extra six assists to the cause.
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Each of the two players scored double-digits in the second half alone and scored the first nine points coming out of the halftime break to turn a six-point deficit into a lead.
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The Lions pushed the game to double-digits with 10:57 on the clock as
Joe Quintana scored his first of two threes a minute apart from each other.
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Tulsa was not knocked out at that point, climbing all the way back to take a two-point lead with 3:24 remaining.
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The response came from a 7-0 run as Douglas hit a three, Scott finished at the rim, and Quintana buried a pair of free throws to give himself his eighth point of the half.
Keli Leaupepe closed the game with 1.5 on the clock and two more free throw makes.
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LMU improved its field goal percentage from 38.5 percent (10-for-26) in the first half to 54.5 percent (12-for-22) in the second half and overcame 22 turnovers to pick up the win. The Lions held Tulsa to no made threes in the second half, with the Hurricane going 0-for-7 from deep in the final 20 minutes.
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The game opened as LMU took a 9-1 lead, with
Cam Shelton adding in the final five in a row.
Alex Merkviladze pushed the lead to 12-3 with a top-of-the-arc three less than five minutes into the game.
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The Golden Hurricane came from behind to take a lead at the 8:18 mark of the first half, before extending it to as many as eight. Douglas hit a layup in the final minute to make it a 31-25 game at intermission.
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