LOS ANGELES – LMU men's basketball led by as many as 19 points in the second half, and also trailed by one less than 12 minutes later, before earning the win in a wild game Saturday night. The Lions fended off the late Nevada surge to win 68-64.
 
Nevada hit the first shot of the game, but the Lions responded with the next five as Caleb Stone-Carrawell knocked down a a go-ahead three and Jevon Porter followed with an offensive rebound tip-in.
 
After missing his first three threes to start the game, Alex Merkviladze hit his next four in the first half, including a personal 9-0 run to push the Lions up 10, 19-9, at the 11:43 mark. Merkviladze hit five first half threes and finished with a game-high 19 points.
 
The Wolf Pack answered with a 7-0 run of their own to cut it down to three before Will Johnston and Stone-Carrawell hit threes to push the lead up to seven again.
 
LMU closed the half on a 10-4 run over the final 4:10 to build their second double-digit lead, 35-25.
 
The second half started all Lions as LMU went on a quick 8-0 run less than two minutes into play to build up an 18-point lead. The lead grew to as large as 19-points as Porter knocked down all three free throws after getting hit on a long-range shot.
 
Nevada did not give in, answering with a 31-11 run over the next 11:26 to take a one-point lead, 58-57.
 
Johnston hit a go-ahead lead on the ensuing possession to put the Lions back on top by two with 5:22 remaining.
 
A pair of Nevada free throws tied the game before Porter snuck a layup in to push LMU back ahead. The Wolf Pack tied it for the fifth time in the second half with another set of made free throws.
 
With less than three minutes to play and the score still tied, Stone-Carrawell and Porter each hit layups to make it a two-possession lead for the Lions.
 
LMU's defense held the Wolf Pack without a made field goal since that go-ahead and-1 with 5:48 remaining.
 
Four Lions hit double-figures as Stone-Carrawell hit the 15-point mark for the fourth time this year. Johnston added 14 and Porter scored 12 to go along with his game-high eight rebounds.
 
Nevada shot 25.0 percent (5-for-20) from three in the game, a season-low for any LMU opponent this year, and were limited to 9-for-35 (25.7 percent) shooting from the field in the first 20 minutes of the game. The 21 field goals
 
LMU's 11 made threes are the most against a Division I opponent this year. The Lions also tied a season-high mark with 15 made free throws.
 
The win comes in the first game of a season-long five-game homestand. The Lions are back home next Saturday to host Prairie View A&M.
 
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