LOS ANGELES – USF and Loyola Marymount have taken turns tormenting each other in recent years with wild finishes bordering on the improbable and Saturday's game in Los Angeles was no exception.
 
USF rallied from an 18 point second half deficit to force overtime on a last second shot by Dont'e Reynolds but Loyola Marymount outscored USF 18-5 in the extra period to earn a 100-87 victory in Gersten Pavilion.
 
The loss drops USF's record to 15-12 overall and 8-8 in the West Coast Conference while Loyola Marymount improves to 12-16 overall and 5-12 in conference play.
 
Tim Derksen matched his career high with 27 points, Devin Watson added 22 and Sean Grennan finished with a career high 15 points to pace USF's scorers. Derksen also pulled down 11 rebounds and dished out five assists. After scoring 25 points against Pepperdine, Ronnie Boyce was held to just seven points on 3-of-17 shooting from the floor while Uche Ofoegbu was held scorerless.
 
Steven Haney's 25 points led five Lion scorers in double figures.
 
Loyola Marymount outrebounded USF, 52-41 and used 13 offensive rebounds to score 14 second chance points. The two teams were whistled for a combined 59 fouls, as five USF players fouled out of the game.
 
Whatever USF channeled in a spirited 10-point win over Pepperdine on Thursday failed to make its way down the Pacific Coast Highway as LMU had their way with the Dons in the first half. Playing without leading scorer Adom Jacko, the Lions got off to a fast start and made six of their first seven shots from the field to build a 15-5 lead at the 14:32 mark of the first half. After USF cut the lead to 26-21, the Lions went on a 10-2 run, capped off by a Marin Mornar three-pointer, to boost the lead to 36-23 with 4:07. Loyola Marymount led by as many as 18 points at 45-27 before taking a 45-31 into the break.
 
The Lions shot 53.1 percent from the floor in the first half and harassed the Dons into eight turnovers over the first 20 minutes. Haney scored 12 of his 25 points before the break while Grennan kept the Dons within striking distance with 12 first half points.
 
USF used a 10-2 run to start the second half to cut the Lion lead to 47-41. Trailing 51-38, the Dons outscored LMU, 23-3 to whittle the lead to 54-52 with 10:03 remaining following  driving layup by Watson. The Dons tied the game at 57 on a lay-in by Boyce and the game was still tied at 73 with 1:22 left.
 
Loyola Marymount was holding onto a 82-77 lead with :14 left after a pair of free throws by Haney. Derksen brought the Dons to within two points at 82-80 when he converted a three-point play after being fouled by Shamar Johnson with 8.7 left.
 
USF got the ball back under its own basket when the Lions failed to inbounds the ball within the allotted five seconds. Watson misfired on awkward attempt to tie the game but Reynolds gathered the rebound and converted his own put back to send the game into overtime tied at 82.
 
The overtime period belonged to Loyola Marymount, as three-pointers by Mornar, Haney and a three-point play by Munis Tutu keyed a 10-0 Lion run to start the extra period. The Dons could get no closer than eight down the stretch before dropping the 13-point, 100-87 decision.
 
"We weren't locked in to start the game for whatever reason," said USF head coach Rex Walters. "They really hurt us on the glass, especially on the offensive end with second chances. I'm disappointed we didn't put together a better effort.
 
"We left a lot to be desired in terms of boxing out and rebounding. They are a big and physical team but there wasn't a sense of urgency on our part to rebounds the basketball. We showed some fight to get back in the game but we didn't play the way were capable of all game."
 
USF will return to action Thursday night as the Dons travel to Stockton to face the Pacific Tigers beginning at 7:00 p.m.