PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Justin Ahrens scored 18 points off of the bench to help lead Loyola Marymount past Portland 92-72 on Thursday night in the West Coast Conference opener for both teams.

Ahrens shot 5 for 9 (4 for 8 from 3-point range) and 4 of 5 from the free throw line for the Lions (11-4). Keli Leaupepe scored 16 points while going 4 of 10 from the floor, including 3 for 8 from distance, and 5 for 10 from the line, and added seven rebounds. Cameron Shelton was 6 of 11 shooting and 2 of 4 from the free throw line to finish with 15 points. Jalin Anderson also had 15 points on 6 of 7 shooting with three 3-pointers.

Michael Meadows finished with 29 points for the Pilots (8-8). Alden Applewhite added 12 points for Portland. Kristian Sjolund also put up seven points and seven rebounds.

Loyola Marymount took the lead with 19:23 remaining in the first half and never looked back. The score was 46-33 at halftime, with Ahrens racking up 12 points. Loyola Marymount extended the lead to 73-50 during the second half, fueled by a 9-0 scoring run. Jalin Anderson scored a team-high 10 points in the second half as his team closed out the win.

NEXT UP

These two teams both play Saturday. Loyola Marymount (CA) visits Pacific while Portland visits BYU.

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