MORAGA, Calif. – The LMU men's basketball team kept it to a two-possession game with less than three minutes on the clock but were unable to ever find the lead Saturday night. The Loins battled to the end before losing to Saint Mary's, 71-60.
 
Alex Merkviladze scored LMU's first five points on a driving layup then a three-pointer. The first-year Lion had a career scoring night going 6-for-10 from the field for 14 points.
 
Cam Shelton tied the game for the first time at 6-6 before Saint Mary's built up a double-digit lead on a 10-0 run, which extended to a 14-3 run. Keli Leaupepe put an end to the run with a three of his own at the 12:05 mark of the first half.
 
LMU responded with a 9-2 run started from a three pointer from deep threat Joe Quintana. Back-to-back layups by Leaupepe and Eli Scott cut the deficit to four points, 22-18, with 8:48 to play until halftime.
 
Saint Mary's would build their lead up to 11 on two additional occations in the first half, but LMU's response cut it down to six each time. The Lions used a 7-2 run to make it a 38-32 game at intermission.
 
Scott opened the second half with a layup, as part of his 11 second half points and 17 overall. Scott recorded his 27^thcareer double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive end of the court.
 
A three by Cam Shelton made it a three-point game for the first time since the under 16-minute media timeout of the first half. After SMC matched it with a three on the other end, Merkviladze hit a layup to make it a 46-42 score with 14:19 remaining.
 
The Gaels scored the next six points to increase their lead to double-digits. LMU responded with seven of the next nine points including a big three by Jalin Anderson between a pair of Scott layups.
 
The game would be cut to five points on two more occasions, once on a Merkviladze jumper at 7:09 and again with a Scott jumper with 5:41 to play. LMU was unable to bring it any closer as time expired.
 
Saint Mary's would finish 50 percent from three (11-for-22) and 100 percent from the free throw line (18-for-18), while LMU won the battle in the paint, 34-16. LMU was held to a season-low five made free throws.
 
The Lions return to the Bluff to host BYU on Thursday for an 8:00 PM showdown on EPSNU.