PORTLAND, Ore.- The University of Portland men’s basketball team battled for a full 40 minutes, but a disciplined effort on defense, combined with some hot first half shooting by the Broncos of Boise State put it out of reach and the Pilots went down, 76-66 at the Chiles Center in the season opener tonight. With the loss, Portland falls to 0-1, while the Broncos improve to 1-0.
Sophomore Eugene Jeter, carried the Pilots with 14 first half points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from three-point range. The combination of Jeter and Dustin Geddis helped cut a 10 point Boise State lead to just four before the break. Jeter’s one-on-one lay-in with one second remaining in the first half ignited the crowd and the Pilot bench, giving UP momentum heading into the break. Boise State maintained the advantage, scoring 10 points in the paint and 12 second-chance points. The Pilots turned the ball over nine times in the first half, giving the Broncos a 40-36 advantage at the break.
Senior Adam Quick sparked the Pilot offense four minutes into the second half. Quick, who had not yet scored in the game, hit back-to-back three-pointers, one from way downtown, the other with BSU’s Brooks Nabors all in his face. On the next possession, Quick drives the lane, fakes the dish and lays it in, for a one point game (BSU led 48-47). The Pilots kept the game within three points until the eight minute mark when the Broncos went on an 11-0 run for a 67-56 lead. The Pilots battled back to within four on another Adam Quick trey, but with :48 seconds left, a Eugene Jeter turnover caused Quick to foul BSU’s Jermaine Blackburn in hopes to deter the easy lay in. Quick was called for a controversial intentional foul in which Blackburn hit both free-throws. The Broncos hit five more points down the stretch to put the game out of reach and go home with a 76-66 road win.
“Boise State played hard in every area of the game tonight,” said Head Coach Michael Holton. “I thought they had more of a competitive edge than we did. I thought we had a chance to come out in the second half and make a game of it, but Boise State came in with an appetite that we didn’t match.”
For the game, Jeter led all players with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and tying a career-best 4-of-4 from behind the arc. Donald Wilson finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Quick contributed 13 points and dished out 10 assists. Senior Dustin Geddis added 12 points and eight boards in the game. On the night, Portland shot 45 percent (25-56) from the field, 39 percent (7-18) from behind the arc and 60 percent (9-15) from the charity stripe. Portland was edged on the boards, 35-32 and committed six more turnovers than the Broncos.
Boise State saw three players score in double figures. Coby Karl, son of the former NBA coach George Karl, led the team with 19 points and was a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line. Jermaine Blackburn tallied 17 points, while Aaron Haynes chipped in 10 points. Teammate Jason Ellis led the Broncos with nine rebounds. As a team, BSU went 24-of-58 (41 percent) from the field, 9-of-29 (31 percent) from three-point range and 19-of-23 (83 percent) from the free-throw line.
“Boise State came in with a good game plan and executed their plays,” noted Holton. “They were a very professional team and I admire that.”
UP NEXT: Portland heads to Corvallis, Ore. on Tues., Nov. 25 to take on in-state rival Oregon State at 7:05 p.m. Portland faces Long Beach State on Nov. 29 at the Chiles Center for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.
