ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — Deon Mitchell scored 23 points, one of three Northern Iowa players to break the 20-point mark, as the Panthers beat Loyola Marymount 90-81 in the opener of the Paradise Jam on Friday. Matt Bohannon had 22 points, Seth Tuttle added 21 and grabbed 11 rebounds for Northern Iowa (2-2). The Panthers shot 51 percent, including 12 of 21 from 3-point range.

Anthony Ireland finished with 24 points, on just 7-of-20 shooting, but made 9 of his 10 free throws for LMU (4-1). The Lions also got 22 from Evan Payne and Gabe Levin chipped in with 10 points and 14 boards.

Northern Iowa went to the line 39 times, making 28 of them. The Lions, on the other hand, made 15 of their 21 attempts. The Panthers led 53-36 at the half, after going 10 of 14 from 3-point range.