LOS ANGELES — Jordan Ratinho had 13 points and USF rallied late but the Dons were downed by Loyola Marymount 53-51 on Thursday night.
Steven Haney scored 18 points and Loyola Marymount (14-14, 7-10 West Coast Conference) won despite making just four of its last eight free throw attempts in the final 30 seconds.
The win also keeps the Lions hanging onto the sixth seed into the WCC Tournament with a bye into the quarterfinals. USF falls one spot to fifth.
Nate Renfro’s bucket with 1:24 remaining rallied USF (19-11, 9-8) to 49-48 but the Dons couldn’t grab the lead despite Loyola Marymount making just half its free throws down the stretch.
Rathino sank a 3 with 17 seconds left for the Dons’ final basket but missed a layup as time expired.
The contest was low-scoring and tense throughout. USF briefly held a 10-point lead after starting the second half 5-0, but Loyola Marymount scored the next seven to tighten it back up.
Haney converted a three-point play and added a 3-pointer on either side of a Trevor Manuel layup as Loyola Marymount surged into a 44-39 lead with nine minutes to go.