PORTLAND – The Pilot men’s basketball team made good on their promise to play an up-tempo style of basketball with an impressive 93-44 exhibition season opening win over Trinity Western on Monday night at the Chiles Center.

Four Pilots scored in double-figures as Portland shot 51 percent from the field for the game, and made 10-of-28 three-pointers overall. Senior Andreas Gahlmann and junior Pooh Jeter led the way, each tallying 13 points on the night. Gahlmann also led the Pilots with eight rebounds, while Jeter tacked on four assists and four steals. Darren Cooper recorded 12 points and six boards, while Sean Smith added 11 points.

“We’ve been practicing hard and we came out and played solid tonight,” said Pilot head coach Michael Holton. “Everyone that played gave a good effort and that is something to build on.”

Portland seamlessly handled the tip, as sophomore Dreshawn Vance got the ball into junior Jeter’s hands for an easy lay-in to open the scoring. The Pilots also showed a marked improvement in rebounding as Vance’s bank shot from Donald Wilson came after three offensive boards, for a 4-0 Portland lead. Trinity Western didn’t even get on the board until the 18 minute mark, after the Pilots had gone on a 6-0 run.

UP turned up the quickness with a couple of easy fast-break hoops. On the first fast break, freshman Jeremiah Dominguez stole the ball from TWU’s Adam Friesen and had the open court for the lay-in. Portland’s tough first-half defense forced Trinity Western into taking several outside shots, as they made only one of six attempts from beyond the arc. The Pilots went on a 21-2 run to end the first half, featured by dunks from Wilson and freshman Marcus Lewis, as well as a few fast break opportunities by Dominguez.

“I thought we controlled the tempo of the game tonight and picked it up defensively,” said Dominguez. “I am glad I could come in and contribute.”

Portland led 40-18 at the break as Gahlmann was the only player on either team to score in double-digits (11).

“We were able to get out and run the ball early on, which allowed me to get some easy lay ins,” said Gahlmann. “ It was exciting for us to get out there tonight and play. We need to build on this win.”

The Pilots came out of the locker room running, scoring early and easy in the second half. On one Pilot possession, Dominguez found Darren Cooper, threading a bounce pass across the lane for an easy lay in. The Pilots made the score 72-30 when freshman Sherrard Watson hit back-to-back treys, and then on the next possession, went coast-to-coast for yet another easy lay in.

Portland also stepped up the defensive intensity in the second half holding the Spartans to just 8-of-31 shooting from the field and 1-of-10 shooting from three-point range.

Adam Friesen and Logan Kitteringham combined for 23 points in the game. Kitteringham also led TWU with eight boards. For the game, the Spartans shot 27 percent (15-55) from the field, 13 percent (2-16) from behind the arc and 50 percent (12-24) from the charity stripe.

Portland finished with a 56-28 advantage on the boards. Typical of an early season game, both teams finished with 26 turnovers, but Portland managed to gain 37 points off TWU’s mistakes. The Pilots also had 19 assists to Trinity Western’s nine.

The Pilots held a big advantage in the paint, scoring 42 points, while the Canadian team managed just 16 points down low. Portland also capitalized on its speed, racking up 27 fast break points, compared to TWU’s eight. The Pilot bench also provided assistance when called upon, with 53 points, while the Spartans scored just 10. Portland made seven of its free throws.

Portland wraps-up its exhibition season against Concordia University in the Chiles Center on Nov. 14 at 7:00 p.m.