Box Score
MALIBU, Calif. --- Junior guard Nik Raivio was one rebound shy of his second consecutive double-double as the University of Portland cruised to a 73-58 victory over the Pepperdine Waves Saturday afternoon at Firestone Fieldhouse in West Coast Conference men’s basketball action. The Pilots (13-7, 4-1) matched their best start ever in WCC play, joining the 1980 and 1998 teams. No Portland team has ever opened with a 5-1 conference mark.
Raivio finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals in his second consecutive solid outing. Against Loyola Marymount on Thursday, Raivio recorded his first career double-double with 15 points, 15 rebounds and six assists.
Sophomore guard Jared Stohl added 13 points and junior point guard T.J. Campbell finished with 11 for the Pilots.
Freshman forward Taylor Darby led the Waves with 12 points and seven rebounds, while freshman guard Keion Bell chipped in 12 as well.
Portland shot 52 percent from the field in gaining a 44-23 halftime lead and then struggled from the field in the second half. The Waves made a nice run to start the second stanza and cut the deficit to 13, but Stohl then drilled consecutive three-pointers as the Pilots would push the margin past 20 down the stretch.
The Pilots shot 41 percent for the game and made 8-of-19 three-pointers, while the Waves finished at 39 percent and just 2-for-13 from downtown. Portland also converted 21-of-31 free throws and gained a 40-37 edge in rebounds.
The Pilots came out fast with a 12-2 lead, but the young Waves used a 6-0 run to keep it close. That would change in a hurry as Raivio and Campbell combined for 27 first half points en route to a 44-23 lead at the break.
Portland will now return home to the Chiles Center for a three-game homestand against the top three teams in the conference. It begins on Thursday versus San Diego at 7 p.m., followed by No. 22 Saint Mary’s on Saturday at 6 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet. The Pilots will conclude the homestand against No. 23 Gonzaga on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. live on ESPN2.
