LOS ANGELES — Bobby Sharp scored 14 points and Ryan Nicholas added 12 with 10 rebounds as Portland put away Loyola Marymount 71-57 Thursday night.
The Pilots (11-7, 3-3 West Coast Conference) shot 47.1 percent from the field. Kevin Bailey scored 13 points and Thomas Van Der Mars chipped in 10 with eight boards.
Portland held a 36-29 advantage at halftime, but trailed by two after Loyola Marymount (10-9, 2-5) opened the second half on an 11-2 run. Sharp responded, hitting three of his four 3-pointers to spark a 20-4 run and make it 58-44 with 8:50 remaining.
The Lions couldn’t pull closer than 10 the rest of the way, stumbling to a 31.8 shooting percentage. Evan Payne and Anthony Ireland each scored 14 points for Loyola Marymount.
The Pilots have won three of their last four games, including an 82-73 upset of No. 22 Gonzaga on Jan. 9.
