MORAGA, Calif. – LMU men's basketball erased a seven-point halftime deficit to take 10 second-half leads. The Lions were unable to close out Saint Mary's Saturday night, dropping the second matchup between the two schools, 70-65.
 
Keli Leaupepe scored the game's first basket and LMU's first four points.
 
After falling behind by five, a 6-0 run with baskets from Justin Wright, Justice Hill, and Michael Graham gave LMU a 10-9 lead with 13:53 showing on the first half clock.
 
Neither team held more than a one-possession lead until Saint Mary's hit a three with 6:33 to play in the half. 
 
Lars Thiemann and Will Johnston each cut the deficit down to four with made shots, but Saint Mary's took a 30-23 lead into intermission.
 
LMU came out firing to open the second half. Dominick Harris hit a three and Johnston followed with a made jumper to cut the deficit to just two less than two minutes into the period.
 
After Saint Mary's scored the next four points, back-to-back threes from Johnston and Alex Merkviladze tied the game at 34-all with 16:22 to play.
 
The lead changed 10 times in the second half alone. The first came with Harris giving the Lions a lead on a jumper, then Justin Wright did it twice in less than a minute as the two teams continued to trade baskets.
 
The Gaels responded with a 9-0 run after Wright pushed LMU ahead, 41-40. All it took was three consecutive threes for the Lions to answer with a matching 9-0 run of their own to retake the lead with 6:53 to play. Leaupepe hit the first two three, and then Johnston buried his long-range attempt to push LMU ahead 50-49.
 
Leaupepe hit his third three of the half at the 5:13 mark to give the Lions a 53-51 advantage.
 
Two free throws started a 4-0 Saint Mary's run that would give them the lead back with less than four to play. Wright kept the Lions close, scoring six points for the Lions down the stretch. Justice Hill added a pair of late shots to push the Lions back within three on two separate possessions, but the Gaels hit their free throws on the other end to close out the game.
 
LMU's Australians each scored 15 points to lead the way on SMC's on Australian Heritage Night.
 
All eight players to check in for LMU scored. The Lions held a 24-2 advantage in bench points led by the 14 from Wright.
LMU outshot the Gaels, 52 percent (27-for-52) to 43 percent (23-for-59) from the field, and 44 percent (8-for-18) to 29 percent (6-for-21) from three.

Saint Mary's converted 18 of 20 free throw attempts, whereas LMU only took four free throws and knocked down three.
 
LMU travels to Spokane for a Tuesday night game on ESPN against Gonzaga.
 
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