Box Score I Video Highlights
PORTLAND, Ore. --- Third-year head coach Eric Reveno has the University of Portland off to its best West Coast Conference start in school history following a 69-55 victory over San Diego Thursday before 2,007 fans at the Chiles Center. The Pilots (14-7) won their fifth straight game and improved to 9-1 at home to push their league record to 5-1 and a tie for second place in the conference standings.
The Pilots will face No. 18 Saint Mary’s on Saturday at 6 p.m. with sole possession of second in the league standings on the line.
“We’re on this journey together to be as good as we can and everyone has bought in to how good we can be,” Portland head coach Eric Reveno said. “Everyone’s really excited to be here and be a part of it. The guys are playing good, unselfish basketball and making good decisions.”
Portland junior guard Nik Raivio missed a double-double for the second straight game by one rebound and finished with 17 points and nine boards. Sophomores Jared Stohl and Luke Sikma provided a spark off the bench and finished with 14 points each. Stohl went 4-for-4 from the field, made two three-pointers and all four of his free throws. Sikma added six rebounds and four assists. Junior point guard T.J. Campbell overcame early foul trouble and finished with 11 points and four assists.
Senior center Gyno Pomare scored a game-high 18 points for the Toreros (12-9, 4-2), who have lost two in a row after running off six straight victories. Sophomore Rob Jones tallied a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
After San Diego gained a 6-5 lead early, the Pilots used a 14-5 run capped by two Sikma free throws to gain a 19-11 edge and Portland would never trail the rest of the way. A Raivio three-pointer with 3:35 left in the first half gave the Pilots their largest lead of the period at 34-22 and would lead to a 34-24 halftime advantage.
The Toreros cut the margin to 35-28 on a layup by Trumaine Johnson early in the second half, but Portland again answered with a three-point play by Smeulders. The Pilots would maintain a double-digit lead over the final 10:18 of the game to win decisively.
Portland shot 46 percent from the field and made 8-of-14 three-pointers and 19-of-24 free throws. San Diego shot 43 percent from the floor, but was just 2-for-10 from the three-point line and 7-for-14 at the charity stripe. The Pilots also outrebounded (31-30) their opponent for the 11th time in the last 12 games.
Portland’s next two games will be at home against ranked opponents, beginning with the 18th-ranked Gaels (18-2, 5-1) on Saturday at 6 p.m. live on Comcast SportsNet. The Pilots will then host No. 20 Gonzaga (15-4, 6-0) on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. in a nationally televised contest on ESPN2.
“The guys have worked so hard that they deserve this,” Reveno said. “I don’t want to be the guy that doesn’t appreciate what we’ve done, but at the same time I don’t want to leave anything on the table. I learned long ago that youthful optimism is better than adult cynicism or paranoia, so I want the guys to enjoy this and have fun.
“Who knows where we finish, but if we do the things we can everyday that’s all we have to worry about. Hard work has been the culture and the norm for this team, so it’s only fair that they get to enjoy this opportunity.”
