ANAHEIM – That’s one anniversary the L.A. KISS will gladly forget.

A week shy of a year since its last victory, the KISS ended a 15-game losing streak Sunday afternoon with a 52-40 victory against the visiting Portland Thunder in an Arena Football League game.

Adrian McPherson returned to quarterback after missing the previous four games because of a foot injury and threw five touchdown passes for L.A., while Rayshaun Kizer highlighted the defensive effort with two fourth-quarter interceptions, returning the second for a touchdown that sealed the victory.

“It’s a great feeling and we haven’t felt that feeling in a long time,” KISS coach Bob McMillen said.

The KISS last won on June 14 – also against the Thunder at Honda Center – then dropped its final six games last season and first nine this year.

Last in the league in scoring in its inaugural season of 2014 and last at the midway point again this year, L.A. used four quarterbacks while McPherson was out but none could develop consistency with the offense.

“It was rough to watch,” McPherson said.

McPherson threw three touchdown passes in the first half as the KISS took a 28-20 lead into the locker room, its first halftime lead since a season-opening loss at Portland. After the KISS opened the second half with a field goal, the defense forced its second turnover on downs and McPherson immediately found Jeffery Solomon on a 37-yard touchdown strike, stretching the lead to 38-20

Duane Brooks kept Portland in the game by returning back-to-back kickoffs for touchdowns, giving him four in the past two games and six on the season. With the KISS holding a 13-point advantage early in the fourth quarter, Kizer came up with his first big defensive play, making a one-handed interception in the end zone to kill a scoring chance.

The Thunder then stopped the KISS on downs for the first time in the game, but again Kizer snuffed out its momentum, this time by anticipating a screen pass and returning the interception 40 yards for a touchdown and a 52-32 lead with about five minutes left.

“I was reading the receiver’s eyes,” Kizer said. “I seen (Thunder receiver V’Keon) Lacey look in the backfield and he wasn’t hitting the line hard.”

Donovan Morgan caught seven passes for 98 yards and three touchdowns and Solomon had nine catches for 93 yards and a score. The catch of the game likely belonged to Tom Gilson, who hauled in a 27-yard touchdown pass from McPherson in the second quarter just before crashing hard into the barriers in the corner of the end zone, giving L.A. the lead for good at 21-14.

“He’s a blue-collar football player,” McMillen said of Gilson.

The Thunder appeared on the verge of tying the score at 21 after a 33-yard touchdown reception by Brooks, but Kevin Goessling, who once kicked for Servite, missed the point-after attempt, the first of three misses in the game.