LOS ANGELES – Washington State men's basketball led by as many as 15 points in the first half and carried a 39-24 advantage into halftime, but Loyola Marymount's Myron Amey Jr. erupted for a dominant second-half performance to lift the Lions to a 67-66 come-from-behind victory over the Cougars Wednesday night at Gersten Pavilion on the LMU campus.
The Lions outscored Washington State 43-27 in the second half, holding the Cougars to a season-low second-half points. Amey Jr. finished with a game-high 31 points, including 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. WSU committed 17 turnovers, which LMU converted into a 22-2 advantage in points from turnovers.
Ace Glass led Washington State with 20 points, his ninth 20-point performance this season. Rihards Vavers added 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point range - his 10th-consecutive game in double figures. Eemeli Yalaho contributed 12 points and nine rebounds, one board shy of his fourth double-double.
The Cougars built their lead in the first half, shooting 51.7 percent from the field while drilling seven 3-pointers. A Yalaho triple at the halftime buzzer sent Washington State to the locker room with its largest lead of the game and held LMU without a 3-pointer in the first half.
The second half told a different story. LMU trimmed the margin to single digits before the 13-minute mark and kept within striking distance until the final two minutes. The Lions scored back-to-back buckets in the final minute to give LMU its first lead since the opening minutes, and two free throws at the 26-second mark to push the advantage to three and secure the win.
Washington State concludes the regular season Saturday at Pepperdine in Malibu with a 5 p.m. tip off on ESPN+ against the Waves.
The Lions outscored Washington State 43-27 in the second half, holding the Cougars to a season-low second-half points. Amey Jr. finished with a game-high 31 points, including 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. WSU committed 17 turnovers, which LMU converted into a 22-2 advantage in points from turnovers.
Ace Glass led Washington State with 20 points, his ninth 20-point performance this season. Rihards Vavers added 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point range - his 10th-consecutive game in double figures. Eemeli Yalaho contributed 12 points and nine rebounds, one board shy of his fourth double-double.
The Cougars built their lead in the first half, shooting 51.7 percent from the field while drilling seven 3-pointers. A Yalaho triple at the halftime buzzer sent Washington State to the locker room with its largest lead of the game and held LMU without a 3-pointer in the first half.
The second half told a different story. LMU trimmed the margin to single digits before the 13-minute mark and kept within striking distance until the final two minutes. The Lions scored back-to-back buckets in the final minute to give LMU its first lead since the opening minutes, and two free throws at the 26-second mark to push the advantage to three and secure the win.
Washington State concludes the regular season Saturday at Pepperdine in Malibu with a 5 p.m. tip off on ESPN+ against the Waves.