Pullin jumper lifts UC Riverside past Loyola Marymount 81-79

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Zyon Pullin knocked down a jumper with 1.6 seconds left to lift UC Riverside to an 81-79 win over Loyola Marymount on Thursday night.

UC Riverside trailed by 20 points early in second half, but cut that deficit to just five points on two Pullin free throws with 12 minutes left.

Pullin drilled a 3-pointer with 29 seconds left to put the Highlanders in the lead, 79-77, but Cam Shelton scored at the basket to pull the Lions even with 17 seconds left. Pullin had the ball as the clock wound down and drove toward the basket to create space for a step-back mid-range jumper for the win.

Pullin had 23 points and added six assists for the Highlanders (1-1). Flynn Cameron scored 11 points while going 3 of 8 from the floor, including 2 for 4 from distance, and 3 for 3 from the line, and added seven rebounds and three steals. Kyle Owens shot 3 of 6 from the field and 5 for 6 from the line to finish with 11 points.

Shelton led the Lions (1-1) in scoring, finishing with 23 points and four steals. Alex Merkviladze added 18 points and eight rebounds for Loyola Marymount (CA). In addition, Keli Leaupepe had 16 points and two steals.

Pullin scored 13 points in the first half and UC Riverside went into the break trailing 52-34. Pullin led UC Riverside with 10 points in the second half as his team outscored Loyola Marymount (CA) by 20 points over the final half.

NEXT UP

UC Riverside next plays Thursday against Creighton on the road, and Loyola Marymount (CA) will host UC Davis on Saturday.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.