Pilots overcome nine-point halftime deficit to force OT, but come up short against San Francisco

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Senior guard Darren Cooper scored 20 points and senior guard/forward Donald Wilson added a season-high 17 points and eight rebounds, but the University of Portland Pilots fell by a 74-72 margin in overtime to the San Francisco Dons Saturday evening at the Chiles Center. Junior forward Alan Wiggins led the Dons with 24 points and eight rebounds.

Trailing 40-31 at halftime, the Pilots fought back and managed to tie the game four minuts into the second period as Cooper, Wilson and fellow senior Pooh Jeter accounted for 30 of Portland’s 35 second-half points. There were nine ties and nine lead changes in the second half and Portland had the final look in regulation.

Following a pair of free throws by USF center Jason Wallace-Carter tying the game at 66-66, Jeter went one-on-one and pulled up for a three-pointer with three seconds remaining in regulation. The shot bounced off long and was collected by Pilot forward Alex Tiefenthaler, but he was unable to get off a shot before the buzzer.

USF (11-15, 7-6 West Coast Conference) gained a four point advantage twice in the overtime period before Jeter tied the game with a free throw and three-pointer with 1:01 remaining. Following a miss and offensive rebound, the Dons turned to junior point guard Armondo Surratt for the game-winner.

Surratt averaged 14.7 points entering the game, but was held scoreless in regulation. His runner with six seconds remaining gave USF a 74-72 lead. Jeter went coast-to-coast after a timeout but his floater in the lane was short and bounced to Wilson at the three-point line. His attempt as time expired missed left and the Dons escaped with a critical WCC victory.

“This was a tough, competitive, important conference game,” Portland head coach Michael Holton said. “We were in position to win with the ball at the end of regulation in a tied game, but overall we didn’t get key defensive stops or knock down shots.”

Portland (10-17, 4-9 WCC) is now locked into the 6th-vs-7th place opening round conference tournament game next Friday. A pair of wins by the Pilots to close the season would have put them in position for a possible fourth-place finish and first round bye. Instead, the Pilots will play either Santa Clara or Pepperdine in the WCC Tournament opening round on Friday, March 3.

A bright spot for the Pilots on Saturday was the performance of freshman forward Jamie Jones. Coming off of a 10-rebound, 6-block performance against LMU last Monday, Jones played a career-high 36 minutes, grabbed 11 rebounds, scored six points, blocked two shots and collected four steals.

“Jamie gave us a lift tonight with seven offensive rebounds,” Holton said. “He has continued to improve and be more productive as the season has progressed.”

Jeter and Cooper exceeded their 33.0 points per game combined average with 35, but both struggled to make shots. Cooper was 3-for-14 from the field, but converted all 14 of his free throw attempts to score 20-plus points for the sixth consecutive game. Jeter was 4-for-20 from the field and 1-for-8 from the three-point line.

Wallace-Carter had a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards for the Dons and Jerome Gumbs added 15 points. USF shot 64 percent from the field in the first half, but finished at 48 percent for the game. The Pilots started 1-for-10 from the floor and finished at 34 percent on the night. The Dons gained a 40-16 points in the paint advantage.

Portland will return to the Chiles Center on Monday, Feb. 27 to host the San Diego Toreros at 7 p.m. It will be Senior Night, as UP seniors Pooh Jeter, Donald Wilson and Darren Cooper will be recognized. The Pilots and the Portland Police Sunshine Division are also putting on a food drive. Fans will receive $2 off admission at the door by donating a nonperishable food item.