PORTLAND, Ore.- The University of Portland men’s basketball team dug deep and out-played the Nevada Wolf Pack in every aspect of the game for an 86-70 win at the Chiles Center Thursday night. Sophomore Donald Wilson went for a game-high 24 points as the Pilots rolled to a four-game winning streak. Portland improves to 4-1 overall, the best start since the 1998-99 season. The Wolf Pack falls to 2-2 on the season.

The Pilots have shot the lights out recently and did the same tonight going 30-of-58 (.517) from the floor and 7-of-13 (.538) from 3-point range. Portland iced the game from the free-throw line, finishing 19-for-26 (.731) at the stripe, knocking down nine out of ten attempts late in the game.

Nevada, the unanimous pick to win the Western Athletic Conference Championship, took an early 2-0 lead on a Kevinn Pinkney jumper. The Pilots took their first lead on Dustin Geddis’ 15-footer and never looked back. Eugene “Pooh” Jeter made it 23-10 at the 10:50 mark in the first half on the first of his four 3-pointers on the night.

The Pilots forced 19 turnovers and gained a 25-8 advantage in points off turnovers. Portland also had the edge in second chance points (21-7) and fast break points (11-6). Portland matched the Wolf Pack on the boards at 29 apiece.

“I was proud of our defensive energy,” said head coach Michael Holton. “We played phenomenal help defense, and it was constant the whole game. We were able to bring their half-court offense to a standstill.”

Nevada battled back from an early first half deficit to go into the break down 35-32. Preseason WAC Player of the Year Kirk Snyder scored 10 first half points to pace the Wolf Pack, but Wilson gave Portland 12 points.

Pinkney scored six straight points midway through the second half to make the score 57-52 at the 9:00 mark. After a free throw by Garry Hill-Thomas, Portland went on a 6-0 run on two Geddis jumpers and a Wilson layup.

From that point on, the Pilots answered every Nevada threat with clutch shots and a well-executed offense. Adam Quick hit a trey to give Portland a 68-57 edge with under six minutes left. Jeter finished off the Pack with a lay-in and 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 1:36 remaining, putting the Pilots up 74-61.

Jeter, who finished with 20 points, knocked down all four of his attempts from beyond the arc and is now 15-for-24 (.625) on the season from downtown. Geddis had another solid outing with 12 points, eight coming in the second half, to go with seven boards. Quick chipped in 12 points, going 7-for-8 from the charity stripe.

Wilson went head-to head much of the night with the highly touted Snyder, and finished with a season-high 24 points, five boards, five assists and three steals. Snyder had 15 points, four rips, four assists and two blocked shots.

Pinkney finished with 20 points, going 8-for-10 from the field for the Wolf Pack. Nevada shot well from the floor going 27-of-51 (.529), but made just 4-of-14 (.286) from the 3-point line. The difference was turnovers, as Portland only turned the ball over on nine occasions.

“I think we got better tonight,” said Holton. “When we get the floor spaced on offense, we are really good. If we keep up the defensive intensity and make teams shoot jump shots with a hand in their face, we can win every night.”

The Pilots are back in action this Saturday as they take on Portland State. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Chiles Center.