Loyola Marymount beats No. 17 UCLA

LOS ANGELES – Ashley Hamilton scored 23 points, Anthony Ireland added 21 and Loyola Marymount knocked off No. 17 UCLA 69-58 on Friday night in a men’s basketball season opener, the Bruins’ first game in their temporary home at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

Reeves Nelson and David Wear scored 13 points each for the Bruins, who were in the preseason rankings for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

The Lions led by one point at halftime and controlled most of the second half, building their first double-digit lead, 53-42, on two free throws by Hamilton that capped a 12-0 run.

Playing not far from their westside campus, the Lions enjoyed good crowd support, with their fans chanting “LMU! LMU!” in the final minutes. They snapped a 12-game losing skid to the Bruins and beat them for the first time since the 1941-42 season.

UCLA fans, meanwhile, began leaving the aging building with 5 minutes to play and their team down by five. The Bruins never led in the second half, managing one tie early on.

It was the Bruins’ first loss playing as the home team at the Sports Arena since the 1961-62 season.