LAS VEGAS — James Batemon scored 29 points and made 11 of 12 free throws and eight-seeded Loyola Marymount rallied from 15 points down in the first half to beat ninth-seeded Portland 78-72 in Friday night’s opening round of the West Coast Conference Tournament.
Eli Scott scored 12 points with 10 rebounds and four assists and Mattias Markusson added 11 points for the Lions (11-19), who face No. 7-ranked and top-seeded Gonzaga in Saturday’s quarterfinals.
It was Scott’s sixth double-double of the season.
Batemon’s 3 amid a 13-0 run put the Lions up 50-47 and they led 71-62 on his free throw with 2:06 left. Portland closed to 71-67 on D’Marques Tyson’s 3, but LMU hit five straight free throws for a nine-point lead with 39 seconds to go. Marcus Shaver Jr.’s layup with 22 seconds left cut it to 77-72, but Zafir Williams made one of two free throws to seal it.
Shaver scored 17 points, McSwiggan had 16 with four 3s and Tahirou Diabate added 14 points for the Pilots (10-22), who hit 10 3s and shot 54 percent, but have lost seven straight.
