Sophomore forward Jamie Jones matches his career-high with 12 rebounds in the loss

PORTLAND, Ore. --- Senior David Patten scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Weber State Wildcats to a 72-56 win over the Portland Pilots Tuesday evening at the Chiles Center. No Portland player reached double figure scoring as the Pilots lost their fifth straight game.

Weber State (5-4) snapped its three-game losing skid by leading from start to finish. The Wildcats gained a 21-9 advantage in points off turnovers, forcing Portland (2-8) into 19 giveaways while committing just 13. The Pilots continued their offensive woes, shooting just 39 percent for the game, yet made three more field goals than the Wildcats (22-19). Weber State shot 41 percent from the floor, but made 29-of-41 free throw attempts to Portland’s 9-for-16 at the charity stripe.

“Weber State did a nice job of competing from the get go,” Portland head coach Eric Reveno said. “They were physical and got us out of rhythm offensively. It was ugly early and often for us.”

Weber State grabbed an early 5-0 lead and would push the margin to as much as nine points in the first period before settling for a 30-24 halftime lead.

Portland came out sluggish after the break and gained a 35-24 lead in the opening two minutes, prompting Reveno to call timeout and substitute five new players into the game.

The Pilots cut the lead to 38-31 with 12:49 remaining on a steal and layup by sophomore guard Walter Thompson, but the Wildcats countered with an 8-0 run sparked by a pair of baskets from Dezmon Harris and Portland would not get within double digits the rest of the way.

Patten added four rebounds and four blocked shots to lead the Wildcats. Dan Henry added 15 points, while Harris chipped in 12.

Sophomore forward Jamie Jones had eight points and matched a career-high with 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Brian McTear also had eight points and six assists for the Pilots.

Portland outrebounded the Weber State by a 40-32 margin, marking the eighth time in 10 games the Pilots have had a positive rebounding margin this season.

“Regardless of our age, we’re a young team that is growing,” Reveno said. “We have been too inconsistent and that’s something we need to address and solve. Ultimately this is a game about performance and tonight we didn’t perform well.”

Portland will get a second chance at the Wildcats in less than two weeks. The Pilots will be at Weber State on Saturday, Dec. 16. The Pilots will next be in action against the Eastern Washington Eagles on Saturday at the Chiles Center at 7 p.m. All Pilot games can be heard on the radio at KKAD 1550 AM or online at portlandpilots.com.