Loyola Marymount 79, Morgan State 62
Loyola Marymount junior guard Anthony Ireland scored a game-high 27 points to lead the Lions over visiting Morgan State 79-62 in a non-conference game Thursday in Los Angeles.
Morgan State had four players score in double figures, led by reserve guard Justin Black, who finished with 15 points. The Bears' cold shooting from 3-point range and the free-throw line was the difference.
The Bears made only 12 of 22 foul shots (54.5 percent) and only four of 16 tries from beyond the arc. Morgan State was also outrebounded 50-32.
Loyola Marymount managed to overcome a slow start to pull away. The Lions missed their first six field-goal attempts, finally making a shot with 15:34 left in the first half. Morgan State, equally cold from the field, trailed 4-2 at that point.
Ireland scored five points and Ashley Hamilton four in a 9-1 run that gave the Lions a 23-15 lead with 8:33 left in the first half. The Bears (3-6) never came closer than 10 points afterward.
Hamilton finished with 20 points.
Loyola Marymount (6-6) led by as many as 13 points in the first half, and the Lions built the lead to as high as 17 in the second half.
Morgan State, in the midst of a seven-game road stretch, has lost three consecutive games. The Bears' last home game was Nov. 11, a 74-73 loss to Holy Cross. Their final road game in the current stretch is at San Diego on Saturday.
The Lions will host Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday.
