LOS ANGELES – LMU men's basketball has won their second consecutive conference game, topping PCH Cup rival Pepperdine, 85-80, in overtime on Thursday. The Lions evened their league record to 2-2 ahead of Saturday's third-straight WCC home game.
 
Pepperdine opened the game with the first nine points, before Keli Leaupepe put the Lions on the board. Leaupepe would play limited minutes as a flagrant-2 call in the first half pulled the Aussie out of the rotation for the rest of the night.
 
The Waves extended their lead to 14-2 until Jalin Anderson hit back-to-back baskets to cut it back to single digits. From the Anderson points starting at 15:55 on the clock to a knock down three from Joe Quintana at the 4:54 mark, LMU used a 29-6 run to flip the score from down double-digits to ahead by 11 over a stretch of 11-plus minutes. Quintana's three capped an 8-0 scoring run.
 
Cam Shelton's free throw with six seconds remaining gave LMU a 36-26 halftime lead. LMU's defense held Pepperdine to 34.6 percent shooting (9-for-26) in the first half.
 
LMU used an 11-3 un in the second half to build up the game's largest lead. Quintana knocked down one of his six threes with 12:12 to play to push the Lions ahead, 54-37.
 
Pepperdine fought back and eventually retook the lead with 4:21 to play. Eli Scott responded with an and-one on the ensuing possession to push the Lions back on top, 63-62.
 
With the game tied at 67-all, Kwane Marble II drove to the lane to for the go-ahead layup with 1:16 to play. Pepperdine answered with a bucket, giving Eli Scott in a go-ahead layup opportunity with less than 30 seconds to play. The Waves forced overtime with a good layup with less than a second on the clock.
 
In the extra session, Quintana buried a three to open the period en route to a 22-point performance. The Lions would continue to build the lead with the first eight points capped off by an and-1 by Marble.
 
The Waves responded with the next nine points and took an 80-79 lead with 1:03 remaining.

Eli Scott, as part of his 31 and 10 night, hit an off-balanced shot in the paint to flip the score and give the lead back to LMU. LMU ended the game with the final four free throws to win, 85-80. Scott recorded his 26^th career double-double to move into fifth all-time in LMU history in the category.
 
Both Marble and Shelton added 10 points. LMU dominated in the paint, outscoring the Waves 42-28 in the key.
 
LMU will be back at Gersten on Saturday night for a 7:00 PM game against Saint Mary's. The game will air on ESPNU.