PORTLAND, Ore.- Poor shooting and turnovers continued to plague the University of Portland men’s basketball team, as they dropped their third-straight game with a 74-55 loss to in-state rival Portland State at the Stott Center on Fri., Dec. 19. With the loss, Portland falls to 5-4 on the season, while the Vikings improve to 4-5 overall.

"I thought they played a high level game tonight,” said Head Coach Michael Holton. “ They came out with a harder competitive edge and played with a sense of purpose.”

Portland State came out scoring in the first half, led by Antone Jarrell who picked up 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including four treys. The Pilots opened the game with an Adam Quick trey from long-range at the 18:27 mark, but Portland State’s Marshal Hartman responded with a three-pointer of his own for an 8-3 early Viking lead. Andreas Gahlmann scored on a reverse lay-in, cutting PSU’s lead to three, but the Vikings went on a 9-0 run at the 10-minute mark. The Pilots came back with a 10-3 run of their own, sparked by Donald Wilson’s shake-n-bake in the lane and a Patrick Galos cram off a steal by Pooh Jeter. PSU out-scored Portland 6-2 in the final minute of play to close out the half, taking a 35-22 lead into the lockerroom.

For the half, Adam Quick led the Pilot charge with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor, including two treys. Portland shot just 22 percent from three-point range in the first half, while the Vikings shot 6-of-11 for 55 percent. The Vikings shot poorly from the free-throw line, making just 3-of-10, but racked up 13 points off Pilot turnovers before the break.

In the second half, Portland scored first on a free-throw make by Donald Wilson, but the Vikings went on to score 12 consecutive points, extending their lead to 24 points. But it wasn’t the biggest lead of the night. Pilot freshman Devil Peal hit a two-footer, his first collegiate points of his career, with 15:29 left on the clock, but Portland State’s Antone Jarrell answered back with a three-pointer, his fifth of the night. Portland managed to cut the lead down to 15 points on a 10-footer by Donald Wilson near the eight-minute mark, but that would be as close as the Pilots would come in the game. Portland State went on to win by 19 points, giving the Vikings an even 1-1 tie in this year’s RiverCity Rivalry series.

“Our team’s success with a 5-1 record to start the season has gone in the wrong direction,” said Holton. “We didn’t have a response for Portland State tonight and you have to come out and compete with passion every night.”

For the game, Donald Wilson led Portland with 13 points, hitting 5-of-9 from the floor and 3-of-5 from the free-throw line. Adam Quick contributed 10 points to the Pilot effort, along with four assists. Dustin Geddis added seven points and six rebounds, while Partick Galos tallied eight points. As a team, the Pilots shot just 33 percent (16-25) from the field, 27 percent (4-15) from behind the arc and a season-best 86 percent (19-22 from the free-throw line.

“I thought their determination set the tone for the game,” said Holton. “We’re trying to turn the corner in our program and what we’re seeing now is how teams are stepping up to play us.”

Portland State’s Antone Jarrell and Blake Walker combined for 40 points on the night. Seamus Boxley recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards. The Vikings shot 53 percent (27-51) from the field, 53 percent (10-19) from three-point range and just 50 percent (10-20) from the stripe.

Portland held the advantage off the bench racking up 19 points compared to PSU’s four, but was out-rebounded 36-26 and gave up 15 points off turnovers in the game.

The Pilots will face the Oregon Ducks on Mon., Dec. 22 at 7:00 p.m. at the Chiles Center before taking on Boise State on Sun., Dec. Dec. 28 on the road for a 2:00 p.m. tip-off at BSU Pavilion.