Box Score
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. --- Junior guard Nik Raivio scored a career-high 33 points and the Portland Pilots defeated Cal State Bakersfield 79-76 in overtime Tuesday night at Rabobank Arena. Three other Pilots scored in double figures and Luke Sikma matched a season-high with 13 rebounds.
Portland (8-6) improves to 5-4 in games decided by six points or less, while the Roadrunners (4-10) drop to 1-2 in overtime games.
The Pilots led by 10 midway through the second period, but CSUB held the Pilots without a point for nearly four minutes before Jared Stohl drilled a corner three-pointer with 44 seconds left to send the game to overtime tied at 61-61.
Portland made 11-of-12 free throws in the extra period, including 7-of-8 by Raivio, to clinch the game, but it wasn’t easy. Another three-pointer by Stohl gave UP a 72-67 edge with 2:33 left, but Santwon Latunde converted a three-point play and two from the stripe to even the score again. Free throws by Raivio and Stohl put the Pilots up four with 25 ticks remaining, but Alex Johnson drilled his seventh three-pointer of the night to make it 77-76 with less than seven seconds left. Raivio made two more from the line and Donavan Bragg missed a desperation three at the buzzer for the 79-76 final.
Stohl finished with 17 points off the bench, making 5-of-7 three-pointers. Junior guard T.J. Campbell added 12 points and junior forward Robin Smeulders chipped in 11 and nine rebounds before fouling out in regulation.
Johnson made 7-of-9 from three-point range and had 23 points. Latunde added 15 and Bragg 14 off the bench.
Portland shot 49 percent from the field and 48 percent from the three-point line. CSUB shot 42 percent and made 11-of-27 three-pointers. The Pilots gained a 35-31 edge on the boards, but committed 17 turnovers.
“This was a great win against a tough opponent on the road,” Portland head coach Eric Reveno said. “Turnovers and allowing them offensive rebounds were of concern, but we did enough to pull out the win after a tough and long road trip over the Holidays.”
After a tough first half, the Pilots came out on fire in the second half led by Raivio who sparked a 17-6 run. The junior guard made two tough runners in the lane and followed with a pair of three-pointers, the last trey giving Portland a double digit lead at 47-37.
Johnson got CSUB off to a fast start by draining four first half three-pointers and scoring 14 points before the break. Raivio had 10 first half points, but the Roadrunners carried a 31-30 lead into intermission despite Johnson missing an uncontested fastbreak lay-up just before the buzzer sounded.
Portland returns home to conclude its non-conference schedule by hosting Seattle on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Chiles Center. West Coast Conference play opens for the Pilots on the road at No. 16 Gonzaga on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 5 p.m.
