LOS ANGELES – LMU men's basketball used an 11-0 run to open the second half to top Portland, 70-58, on Saturday night. The Lions were lifted by five players in double-digits including LMU career-highs for Kwane Marble II and Alex Merkviladze.
 
Eli Scott opened the game for LMU with three free-throw line jumpers in a row to give the Lions an early 6-2 lead. Scott shot 5-for-7 in the game and recorded his 25^th career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Portland climbed back and took their first lead with a 7-0 run before Cam Shelton tied the score at 11-11 with a layup. Shelton would tie the score again at 13-all.
 
The Pilots scored the next seven points and take a seven-point lead at the 6:10 mark of the first half for their largest of the game. Marble ended the run with his first of three three pointers in the game.
 
Joe Quintana hit a pair and Keli Leuapepe hit a three down the stretch to give LMU a 31-28 advantage at intermission.
 
The Lions held Portland to 1-for-9 shooting from three in the first half, and 3-for-23 (13.0 percent) from distance in the game, as part of an active defensive effort.
 
Marble opened the second half with back-to-back threes, Merkviladze added a layup, and Quintana punctuated the 11-0 run out of the locker room with one of his four threes on the night for a dozen points.
 
Merkviladze went on a personal 5-0 run converting an and-1 to push the lead to 48-32, with 12:57 to play. 
 
Marble and Merkviladze each scored 12 points in the second half alone to finish the game with career-bests 15 and 12, respectively.
 
LMU's largest lead came on a 9-2 run which pushed the Lions ahead 65-44 with 7:28 remaining. Cam Shelton converted an and-1 in the run as part of his balanced 14 point, eight rebound, six assist performance.
 
LMU shot 50 percent from the field with 26 makes on 52 shots and held the Pilots to 34.0 percent (18-for-53).
 
The Lions bench outscored Portland's bench, 31-0.