LOS ANGELES – LMU's defense set a new low mark on the year, holding an opponent to 54 points and matching a season-low with 21 made shots. The Lions pulled out a 57-54 win over Santa Clara in the return to play since the Los Angeles fires impacted so much of Southern California.
 
The game featured 15 total lead changes. After LMU started the game ahead 4-2, Santa Clara turned around a 12-4 run to take a six-point lead with 12:45 on the clock.

Rick Issanza then kicked off the first of 15 unanswered points as LMU turned a 14-8 deficit into a 23-14 lead. Caleb Stone-Carrawell scored eight straight points of his own in the middle of that stretch on his way to a team-high 19 points on 7-for-15 shooting.
 
The Broncos scored baskets less than a minute apart before Aaron McBride's layup and a pair of Jan Vide baskets gave LMU a double-digit lead at 29-18 with 3:11 to play. That, combined with the previous run, was a 21-4 stretch for the Lions that last over nine and a half minutes in the opening half.
 
The 11-point lead was cut to just three at intermission as Santa Clara closed the half with the final eight points to go in trailing by a possession, 57-54.
 
Despite not scoring in the opening 20 minutes, Jevon porter scored LMU's first five points of the second half with a corner three and a jumper.
 
The visitors responded with the next seven points to take back the lead and go up three, 37-34, with 16:52 on the clock.
 
The game of runs continued as LMU then rattled off 10 unanswered points to push ahead, 45-39, just before the 10-minute mark. Layups by Stone-Carrawell and Alex Merkviladze bookended six points from Myron Amey, Jr.
 
The Broncos would not give in, scoring the next seven points and retaking the lead, 46-45, with 7:21 to play.
 
The two teams went back-and-forth over those final seven minutes trading go-ahead scores. The Lions scored field goals four different times over that final stretch to move LMU from down one to up one. Stone-Carrawell gave the Lions a lead at 7:05, McBride gave the Lions a lead at 6:42, Stone-Carrawell again did it at 4:28, and Merkviladze hit a go-ahead layup with 3:09.
 
Santa Clara scored with 1:11 on the clock to push them back on top, 54-53, setting up the crucial final minute.
 
Neither team made a field goal in that last 70 seconds, but LMU did final 4-for-4 from the free throw line to close out the game with the final four points behind makes from Stone-Carrawell and Merkviladze.
 
Merkviladze finished with eight points and a team-high seven rebounds.
 
LMU's bench outscored Santa Clara's bench 21-9 behind a combined 21 points from Amey, McBride, and Vide.
 
This is the first win for the Lions this season when scoring less than 60 points. LMU only make three threes and won a game for the first time this year. The Lions also move to 9-0 when leading at halftime.
 
The Lions will remain at home to host San Diego Saturday night at 6:00 PM at Hank's House.
 
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