LOYOLA MARYMOUNT BOX SCORE

UC SAN DIEGO BOX SCORE

LA JOLLA, Calif. – On the second day of the regular season, California Baptist University got an early glimpse at what the Western Water Polo Association looks like this year. The Lancers split the day, with a thrilling 13-12, come-from-behind, overtime victory over Loyola Marymount and 18-12 loss to UC San Diego on Sunday.

CBU showed no deficit is too great in both games. It overcame a three-goal, fourth-quarter deficit for a 13-12 overtime win over LMU, and then rallied after giving up the first three goals of the game against UC San Diego to force a halftime tie.

The 16th-ranked Lancers start the year with a 2-2 record, while No. 12 UC San Diego is 3-1 and Loyola Marymount starts out 2-2. CBU hits the road next week for the Princeton Tournament where it will take on George Washington and Iona on Friday and then Princeton and St. Francis Saturday.

Tommy Lotero enjoyed a big day for the Lancers, with 28 saves overall. The sophomore had 15 saves in 30 minutes against LMU and 13 more in three quarters versus the Tritons. Dominick Nevarez had five goals overall and another hat trick against the Lions.

It took a relentless fourth-quarter comeback for CBU to defeat Loyola Marymount in overtime on Sunday. The Lancers trailed the Lions 12-9 with 2:49 left to play, but goals from Logan Mena and Nevarez with 2:10 and 1:21 remaining kept hope alive.

CBU regained possession with 18 seconds to go in regulation and called a timeout. Nevarez came up with the game-tying goal with two seconds on the clock to send it to overtime. Nevarez then scored the winning goal one a five-meter penalty shot at the 1:09 mark of the first overtime session.

Nevarez notched another hat trick in the game, while Ryan Sargis had a team-high four points (three assists, one goal). Kyle Johnson (two goals, one assists) and Christian Britton (two assists, one goal) both had three points, and Mena had a goal, assist and six drawn ejections.

The Lancers actually scored the first two goals of the game, thanks to Tanner Shore and Zach Lowery, who also had three steals in the game. Loyola Marymount took a 5-3 lead at the end of the first quarter, though, despite another score from CBU senior Royce Daniel Laverne.

Lotero's 15 saves played a huge part in CBU's victory. He held the Lions to seven goals, including two on penalty shots, from the second quarter on. Lotero also blocked Loyola Marymount's shot at a third five-meter goal.

LMU widened its lead to 7-3, with 1:41 left in the first half, but true freshman Hunter Barnett scored 12 seconds later to make it 7-4 at halftime. Goals from Britton, Matt Diacono, Johnson, Mena and Sargis narrowed the deficit to one goal on three different occasions: 7-6, 8-7 and 10-9.

The Lions scored the next two goals to take back a three-goal lead, which fed into CBU's dramatic comeback win.

In the final game of the day, CBU fell into a 3-0 hole 3:30 into the contest. The Lancers answered right back with goals from Britton, Bumgardner and Mena to level the score at 3-3 going into the second quarter.

CBU would take its first lead of the game, 5-4, on goals from Johnson and Lowery two minutes into the second frame. Laverne and Mena scored to make it 7-5 in favor of the Lancers with three minutes left in the first half, but the Tritons rallied to force a 7-7 tie at halftime.

The Tritons scored the first five goals of the second half and then rode the momentum to an 18-12 win. Nevarez (two goals, two assists) and Britton (three assists, one goal, two steals) both had four points in the game, while Bumgardner (two assists, one goal) and Nick Johnson (two goals, one assist, two steals) both had three. Mena scored twice and drew seven ejections.