Boxscore - HTM | PDF
Los Angeles, CA - Loyola Marymount clamped down on Portland State's offensive juggernaut handing the Vikings a 78-62 loss at Gersten Pavilion.
PSU was held to its fewest points and its poorest shooting percentage (.377) of the season as its record dropped to 1-3. LMU improved to 2-2 overall.
The game posed an interesting contrast as the Vikings went into the contest averaging 94.3 points per game and shooting .515 from the field. Meanwhile, the Lions had held opponents to 65.0 points and .386 shooting.
It was the Vikings that started with strong defense though, jumping to a 14-4 lead through the first nine minutes of the game. PSU forced the Lions into seven turnovers in the first seven minutes.
Loyola Marymount was able to get the game played at its pace, and the Lions rallied back to make it close before halftime. A Deontae North tip-in just before half gave the Vikings a 33-32 lead at intermission.
Loyola Marymount came out hot in the second half, hitting 10 of its first 14 shots. That allowed the Lions to build a 56-44 advantage with 10:08 left in the game. The Vikings hit only five of their first 13 shots in the half. Even worse, PSU was on 4-14 at the free throw line at that point.
The Lions lead grew to as many as 18 as they were able to cruise to a comfortable win.
LMU shot .574 from the field to contrast the Vikings' .377 mark. The Lions also outrebounded the Vikings, 39-32.
PSU finished 5-21 from three-point range (.238) and 11-22 at the line (.500).
Brandon Brown scored 20 points with six assists and four rebounds to lead the Lions. Erik Johansson came off the bench to hit 5-7 three-pointers for 15 points.
Braxton Tucker had a game-high 15 points and six rebounds for Portland State. Zach Gengler added 12 points and five assists. Traylin Farris came off the bench to score 10 points on 5-6 field goals.
GAME NOTES: Braxton Tucker has led the Vikings in scoring in all four games this season. He is averaging 20.0 points per game… the all-time series between the teams is now tied 3-3… PSU has lost four straight road games dating to last season… this was the first of four non-conference games for the Vikings against West Coast Conference opponents… Portland State plays at Pepperdine on Sunday afternoon in a 2:30 p.m. game. Live video, audio and stats can be found at GoViks.com.
