MALIBU, Calif. – The LMU men's basketball team (12-7, 7-4 WCC) has clinched a top-three record in the West Coast Conference and a winning record in league play by topping Pepperdine (10-11, 6-6 WCC) on the road, 81-74, on Thursday night.
 
LMU was lifted by a team effort as six different players scored at least three field goals and five different players scored in double-digits for the first time since November in Minnesota.
 
Three of the first four made baskets for LMU were from three as Jalin Anderson, Eli Scott, and Joe Quintana pushed the Lions ahead 11-6 in the first half. 
 
Anderson set a new career-high, scoring 16 points. Scott and Quintana each added a dozen.
 
The Lions built a lead of eight, 27-10, with a Mattias Markusson layup at the 6:19 mark of the opening half. Pepperdine came back to tie game with under four minutes to play, but never took a lead as LMU took a 40-35 advantage into intermission. Markusson finished with 15 points and six rebounds.
 
An early 8-0 in the first five minutes coming out of the locker room pushed the LMU lead to 50-37.
 
Ivan Alipiev built the largest lead of the night with a layup and 4:56 to play, pushing it to a 15-point game. LMU's final nine points from that point on came at the free throw line. The 21 made free throws are LMU's most in conference play.
 
Keli Leaupepe led the Lions with 17 points and eight rebounds, with five coming on the offensive end of the court. LMU's 14 offensive rebounds led to 19 second chance points.
 
LMU totaled a season-high 10 steals with three coming from Alipiev. The Lions only turned the ball over nine times, tying a season-low.
 
The Lions ended an eight-game road skid at Firestone Fieldhouse with the win.
 
One final game remains on the regular season schedule as the Lions travel to Spokane to face the nation's top team. LMU and Gonzaga will play on ESPN, Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.