STOCKTON, Calif. – In a game that featured nine ties and 14 lead changes, LMU men's basketball was one lead change shy of leaving with a win. The Lions had two looks at the rim in the closing seconds before time expired giving Pacific the game, 69-68.
 
The Lions fell behind 5-0 to open the action before Keli Leaupepe hit his first of two early threes. The Lions used an 11-0 run sparked by a trio of threes off the shooting hands of Leaupepe, Eli Scott, and Joe Quintana.
 
The Tigers put together an 8-0 run of their own midway through the half to retake the lead and push ahead, 21-18. LMU responded with the next four as Cam Shelton drove the lane for a go-ahead layup.
 
The first half featured eight lead changes and five ties including the back-to-back field goals by Shelton to tie then take the lead with 5:20 to play.

Jalin Anderson hit go ahead threes twice in the half, once with the score tied at 27-all and again with LMU trailing to push the Lions in front 33-31.
 
Pacific closed out the half with a 5-0 run to take a 36-33 lead, despite neither team scoring in the final two-plus minutes of play.
 
Alex Merkviladze knocked down a three and Keli Leaupepe added a layup to tie the game at 40-all less than four minutes into the second half.
 
Back-to-back layups by Scott and Shelton gave the Lions a one-point lead with 13:25 remaining. Those points were part of a larger 15-3 run that gave LMU their biggest lead of the game, 57-48, with 7:43 on the clock.
 
After a pair of Pacific free throws, Merkviladze scored in the paint to push the Lions back up nine.
 
A collision on the defensive end of the court, sidelined Anderson for part of the second half, but he returned to play and promptly knocked down a three with 5:48 on the clock to give LMU an eight-point advantage, 62-54. The Tigers answered with a 11-2 run to retake the lead with 2:38 remaining.
 
Scott knocked down a pair of free throws to retake the lead and hit a jumper with 1:18 on the clock to give LMU a 68-65 lead. Pacific's Jeremiah Bailey did the same on the other end with a pair of free throws and the game-winner coming with 15 seconds on the clock as part of his game-high 22 points.
 
LMU drew up a play to get Scott a look at the basket in the closing seconds. Scott missed the initial attempt and collected his own rebound to put up a second look but was unable to convert leading to time expiring.

Scott led the team with 17 points and nine rebounds. Anderson added 13 points, Scott scored 12, and Leaupepe finished with 11. Quintana scored nine before fouling out.
 
The Lions will travel to BYU on Thursday before returning home for the final time this season on Saturday.