Portland senior guard Darren Cooper scores 20, but the Broncos shoot 65 percent from the field

PORTLAND, Ore. - University of Portland seniors Pooh Jeter and Donald Wilson continued to ascend the Pilot record books on Monday, but Santa Clara came into the Chiles Center and put on a shooting clinic in an 80-56 rout in front of 1,388. Bronco senior Travis Niesen scored a game-high 25 points, while Portland senior Darren Cooper had 20 for the second consecutive game.

Jeter (1,569) and Wilson (1,123) became the second highest scoring teammates in Pilots history after combining for 18 points on Monday. The tandem’s 2,692 total trails only Darwin Cook and Rick Raivio, who combined for 3,346 points from 1977-80.

Santa Clara (9-12, 2-7 West Coast Conference) spoiled the night by shooting over 60 percent in both halves en route to snapping a seven-game losing streak. Both SCU victories in the WCC have come against the Pilots (8-15, 2-7 WCC), who have now lost five in a row.

The Broncos opened the second half with a 12-2 run capped by consecutive steals and layups to gain a 53-20 lead with 16:15 remaining. A steal and dunk by Wilson at 10:58 brought UP to within 57-43, but SCU pushed the margin back to 20 and never looked back.

The Broncos shot 65 percent from the field, while Portland converted just 35 percent from the floor. Cooper provided a majority of the Pilots offense with a 6-for-9 shooting performance, including 4-of-5 from the three-point line and 4-of-4 at the stripe. Jeter was held to single digits for the second game in a row and finished with six points on 2-of-10 shooting. Wilson joined Cooper in double figures with 12 points.

Sophomores Mitch Henke and Brody Angley added 13 each for the Broncos.

"We played hard but we didn’t play well," Portland head coach Michael Holton said. "At this time of the year in this conference you must play hard and well to be successful. We have got to quickly process this and play better because it is not going to get any easier with Gonzaga coming next Monday."

Cooper kept the Pilots close early by hitting his first four shots, including a trio of three-pointers, within the first eight minutes of the game. His third trey pulled Portland within one at 16-15 with 12:14 remaining. SCU answered as freshman center John Bryant scored twice in the paint and Niesen added seven unanswered points for a 27-15 edge. The Broncos led by as much as 15 on two occasions in the first period, but Cooper’s two at the charity stripe made it 41-28 at the break. SCU shot 63 percent in the first period to Portland’s 39 percent.

Portland will return to action at the Chiles Center on Monday, Feb. 13 with a sold out WCC match-up against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at 7 p.m. The game will be aired live on KPDX-TV (UPN 49) in the Portland-metro area. It can also be heard on 1550 KKAD-AM and portlandpilots.com.