Loyola spreads scoring around

If ever Loyola Marymount needed a total team effort, it was Saturday night against UC Irvine.

Weary from a stretch of seven games in 17 days that included trips to Alaska and Texas, the Lions came through in a 73-65 nonconference victory over the Anteaters at Gersten Pavilion.

Brandon Worthy had 16 points, Matthew Knight had 15 and Adoyah Miller had 14 for the Lions, who used 11 players, eight of whom scored.

“I knew we were tired,” said Coach Rodney Tention, whose team had lost its previous two games. “So we played a lot of guys and shared the minutes. That’s the way it had to be.”

The score was tied, 62-62, with 4 minutes 35 seconds to play, but the Lions (7-4), relying on a full-court press, forced five turnovers in the final 3:53 and sealed the victory by making seven of eight free throws in the final 1:58.

Using the press was a risky strategy for a tired team, but it paid off as the Lions forced 16 turnovers and committed only six. The six turnovers were the fewest for the Lions in nearly four years, 11 below their season average and 24 fewer than they had against USC on Dec. 2.

“Good teams don’t turn it over the way we have been and we want to be a good team,” Tention said. “I felt like the guys enjoyed playing the pressure defense and this was the best 40 minutes we’ve played all season.”

Patrick Sanders had 18 points and Darren Fells had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Irvine (3-5).

Peter Yoon

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Cal State Fullerton 83, Pepperdine 81 -- Bobby Brown scored 22 points for the Titans, who nearly squandered a 14-point lead midway through the second half at Malibu.

The Waves (2-7) rallied with a 12-0 spurt and cut the deficit to 65-63. Kingsley Costain stole the ball and made a layup as the Waves took their first and only lead with 6:17 remaining.

Pepperdine had a chance to win the game, but Marvin Lea missed a three-point shot with two seconds left.

Chase Griffin had 20 points for Pepperdine, which is off to its worst start since 1996-97, when it lost 10 of its first 12 games.

Justin Burns had 15 points and Frank Robinson had 14 points and four steals for the Titans (6-2).

Fullerton took a 16-2 lead and built an 18-point advantage midway through the first half. The Titans led, 44-36, at halftime.

Long Beach State 76, Cal State Sacramento 55 -- Aaron Nixon scored 19 points and Kejuan Johnson had 15 to help the host 49ers win their third consecutive game.

The 49ers (5-4) recorded their biggest margin of victory this season while holding their opponent to the second lowest output this season. Nixon made six of nine shots and Johnson tied a season high in points. He had five assists and four steals.

Long Beach State went on a 15-4 run over the final seven minutes of the first half to take a 39-22 lead. The 49ers increased their lead in the second half to as many as 22 points.

Alex Bausley scored 13 points and Loren Leath had 11 for the Hornets (5-6), who committed 18 turnovers.

Boise State 84, Cal State Northridge 75 -- Jonathan Heard had a game-high 24 points, but the host Matadors did not have an answer for the size advantage of the Broncos, who scored 32 points in the paint and shot 54% from the field.

Matt Nelson scored a season-high 21 points and had 11 rebounds for the Broncos (4-4), who won on the road for the first time this season.

The Matadors (5-4) led, 35-34, at halftime but went nearly 10 minutes without a field goal in the second half.

They were without starting center Thomas Shewmake, and forward Calvin Chitwood fouled out after playing only 10 minutes.

Montana 72, UC Riverside 65 -- Justin Bell scored 19 points, including 15 on three-point baskets, but they weren’t enough to get the Highlanders (3-6) past the Grizzlies (4-5) at Missoula, Mont.

The Highlanders went on an 18-8 run to take a 62-61 lead with 3:01 to play.

The Grizzlies responded with a layup by Cameron Rundles to take a 63-62 lead with 2:04 to play and they never trailed again.