It was the Bez Mbeng show at Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles.
The reigning Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year registered 28 points on 10-for-15 shooting as Yale men’s basketball edged Loyola Marymount, 83-80, Sunday to move to 2-1.
The teams went back and forth in the first half. Yale grabbed an 11-6 lead with by six points from senior Matt Knowling and LMU fought back to knot up the score at 43. Junior John Poulakidas hit a trey with three seconds left in the half to put Yale up 46-43. Both teams were 16-for-30 from the field at that point, with Mbeng leading the visitors with 13 points.
Unlike the loss at Gonzaga, the Elis got a favorable first-half whistle, shooting 13 free throws to nine by the Lions.
Yale posted 20 points in the paint, while LMU did most of its damage from deep, making five treys in 14 attempts.
The second half was equally close. Yale went up 61-55 before LMU went on a 7-0 run to grab a 67-63 lead. Yale then went on an 8-1 run to claim a 78-73 advantage.
Mbeng hit a close-in shot with nine seconds remaining to put Yale ahead 83-80 before LMU missed a contested trey at the buzzer.
The Elis shot 49% from the field and 80% from the charity stripe overall. They also outrebounded the Lions, 26-21, but were outscored from the bench by a 33-12 tally.
Knowling chipped in 16 points, many on his patented footwork maneuvers inside.
Yale coach James Jones said it was a “great team win.”
“Really hard to win a west coast road game,” Jones said. “The team battled and played Bulldog basketball.”
LMU redshirt junior guard Dominick Harris, who moved over from Gonzaga, delivered a team-high 21 points
Yale is next in action on Friday night in Moncton, New Brunswick against Colgate in the Atlantic Slam.
Yale showed the confidence of a veteran team when they went down late. Played excellent defense on LMU final shot