PORTLAND – LMU men's basketball was unable to stop the 55 percent shooting from Portland on Saturday night as the Pilots pulled away for a home win, 89-78.
 
Jevon Porter hit an opening three and Will Johnston followed with a basket to give LMU an early 5-0 lead.

With LMU ahead by four, the Pilots used a 16-2 to go ahead double digits with 12 minutes to play in the first half.
 
Portland's first half lead grew to as large as 12 before LMU responded with a 13-2 run of their own to pull back within one. Johnston started the run with a pair of baskets and his backcourt mate, Jan Vide, scored a pair of layups in that stretch as well.
 
The Lions closed the half on a 5-0 run as Vide hit a jumper and Porter knocked in a second three to pull within a point, 33-32. Porter's two threes were the only two of the half as LMU shot 2-for-15 from long range in the opening 20 minutes.
 
LMU tied the game twice in the second half, once after a pair of Vide free throws and again as Porter hit his third three of the game at the 16:17 mark. Porter finished with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
 
The Pilots shot 58.6 percent (17-for-29) from the field and  53.3 percent (8-for-15) from three in the second half to rebuild a double-digit lead.
 
The Lions also shot above 50 percent in the second half, at a 52.6 percent clip (20-for-38), but couldn't get the timely defensive stops needed to mount a comeback.
 
Caleb Stone-Carrawell led the Lions with 18 points after finishing the first half with just four.
 
Johnston hit five second half field goals and finished with 17 points.
 
Alex Merkviladze scored nine points and grabbed nine rebounds.
 
The 34 made field goals are a season high for the Lions as a team against Division I competition this season. LMU only committed two turnovers, a season low.
 
The Lions have four games remaining on the schedule beginning with a trip to Santa Clara on Thursday night. LMU hosts Pepperdine on Saturday evening the 22^nd.
 
Donate Today:
Fans interested in making a contribution to the Lions Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift will help provide a transformational student-athlete experience athletically, academically, and culturally for every LMU student-athlete. We appreciate your continued support of LMU Athletics. 
 
Follow Along With The Action:
For complete coverage of Loyola Marymount University athletics, visit LMULions.com. We encourage you to follow along with all the action on social media as well. Follow along by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Instagram.