Box Score
PROVO, Utah --- The University of Portland went into a hostile road environment against an undefeated Brigham Young squad with the nation’s longest home winning streak and fought hard before falling 91-76 to the Cougars before 9,418 fans. BYU (10-0) extends its streak to 53 wins at the Marriott Center, while the Pilots (5-3) open their three-game road trip with the loss.
Junior guard Nik Raivio led four Pilots in double figures with 18 points and seven rebounds. Raivio was 6-for-9 from the field. Sophomore guard Jared Stohl finished with 14 points, junior forward Robin Smeulders added 13 and sophomore center Kramer Knutson chipped in 12.
Junior forward Jonathan Tavernari led all scorers with 25 points for BYU. Jimmer Fredette added 17 points. Senior Lee Cummard, the reining Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, was held to 12 points, seven below his season average.
Playing without starting forward Ethan Niedermeyer (high ankle sprain) for the third consecutive game, the shorthanded Pilots withstood an early barrage from the Cougars which led to a 22-14 lead. The Pilots then caught fire and took their first lead of the game at 27-25 with 8:49 left in the first half. BYU matched Portland with hot shooting of their own and closed the half with a 12-5 run to gain a 45-36 lead at the break.
“Going down early and battling back takes a lot of energy,” Portland head coach Reveno said. “They ran on us after makes, which against most teams a make gives you a chance to set your defense. BYU doesn’t let you do that. It really started to wear on us at the end.”
Portland continued to withstand BYU rallies throughout the second half and was within 11 at 66-55 with 8:39 remaining on a Smeulders jumper. BYU quickly answered with a three-point play by Fredette and four straight free throws from Archie Rose. The Pilots pulled with 13 at 80-67 with 3:34 left, but BYU put the game out of reach with a 10-0 run over the next 1:04.
The Cougars shot 62 percent from the field and made 8-of-18 three-pointers. Portland finished at 46 percent and was 10-for-26 from beyond the arc. The difference came at the free throw line, where BYU made 25-of-33 attempts compared to Portland’s 10-for-15 effort.
The Pilots forced 17 BYU turnovers, the most this season for the Cougars. Portland committed 15 turnovers, but BYU excelled in transition with a 14-0 edge in fast break points.
“There is huge value for our team to play quality programs with good values that play the game the right way, and today gave us that opportunity,” Reveno added. “We can learn from this and use it as a good experience. We’re heading in the right direction, but we are not there yet.”
Portland will continue its road swing through the Rockies with a Tuesday game against Northern Colorado. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. (PST) in Greeley, Colo. The game will air on 970 AM in the Portland area beginning at 7 p.m.
