Sherrard Watson

Taishi Ito’s runner off the mark on final play as Pilots lose 50-48

SAN DIEGO, Calif. --- The Portland Pilots overcame a 12-point deficit to send the game to overtime, but were held to two points in the extra period and lost to the Pepperdine Waves, 50-48, in the first round of the West Coast Conference tournament Friday night at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Sophomore point guard Taishi Ito’s 10-foot runner with three seconds left in overtime missed short as the Waves (11-20) held on for the win.

Nik Raivio tied the game in regulation with a clutch three-pointer with 1:01 remaining. Raivio then stole the ball and the Pilots had a chance to win, but Sherrard Watson’s runner off the glass rimmed off with three seconds on the clock.

Portland’s only lead of the game came in overtime on a Raivio jumper with 3:17 remaining, but Portland would be held scoreless from then on.

Watson, Portland’s only senior, led the Pilots with 17 points in his final collegiate contest. Raivio added 12 off the bench.

Tyrone Shelley scored a game-high 21 to pace the Waves, including the tying layup in traffic in overtime and a pair of free throws to win it on a questionable foul call with 35 seconds left.

Portland owned a 43-28 edge on the boards, but committed 20 turnovers to Pepperdine’s eight. The Pilots shot 43 percent and limited the Waves to 31 percent.

Pepperdine jumped to a 10-0 lead out of the gates as Portland struggled on the offensive end with turnovers and poor shooting. After the Pilots cut the deficit to two late in the period, the Waves used a 12-2 run to cap the half with a 27-15 lead. The Pilots committed 14 first-half turnovers and shot just 32 percent from the floor in the period.

The Waves, seeded sixth in the tournament, advance and will play the host and third-seeded San Diego Toreros on Saturday at 8:30 p.m.