Pilots rise above LMU 68-66

Both teams went into the matchup coming off with strong wins with the Pilots beating Pepperdine (85-76) and the Lions upsetting BYU (76-69). 

The Pilots dominated the first half leading the Lions nearly every step of the way. Some of the highlights of the half included a demanding shot by Freshman Jojo Walker and a swift 3 by Josh McSwiggan. However the Pilot who shined brightest this half was senior guard D’Marques Tyson with a dominating 17 points, helping the team end the first half on top, 37-27. 

The pilots ended the first half with a 10 point lead 37 - 27 but later struggled to maintain control in the second half. At one point falling behind the lions 42-46 the teams fought for every point. 

“It seems like every game this year we can’t really get a game where we can just run away with it,” Tyson said, who also explained that coming out of halftime, the team just didn’t have the same energy as at the beginning of the game saying that it was something the team as a whole needed to work on. 

Eventually, the Pilots regained their footing, with the latter of the half of the game which proved to be a back and forth battle between the teams, neither pulling away with a significant lead. For Portland, freshman Jojo Walker put in an impressive 3, later followed by a critical shot by Malcolm Porter bringing the score to 61-59 with only 2:30 left in the game. 

Near the end of the game, tensions ran high both on and off the court with the Pilots having only a 1 point edge (66-65) which was gone a few seconds later as LMUs Steven Haney put in a free throw (66-66). However, a foul by LMUs Jeffery McClendon allowed number 10, Marcus Shaver, to put in two free throws, and with only two seconds left in the game, the Lions were unable to make up the difference. 

Next week the Pilots will travel to California to face off against the University of San Francisco, who currently sit at seventh in the conference.