Box Score I Video Highlights
PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots cruised to a 74-45 victory over the Pepperdine Waves Thursday night in West Coast Conference men’s basketball action at the Chiles Center. Junior guard T.J. Campbell scored 14 points, with five rebounds and five assists to pace Portland, which held on to sole possession of second place in the WCC standings with three games remaining.
“It was a good win,” Portland head coach Eric Reveno said. “We challenged the guys to play hard and be the best we could be. I was proud that we were able to continue to focus on execution even after we created some separation.”
Junior guard Nik Raivio added 11 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore center Kramer Knutson scored 10 points – all in the first half – as 10 different Pilots scored in the game.
Dane Suttle, Jr. and Keion Bell led the Waves (8-19, 5-6 WCC) with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Portland (17-9, 8-3) now has a one game lead over Saint Mary’s in the league standings for second-place and controls its own destiny down the stretch. A second-place finish would give the Pilots a bye to the semifinals of the WCC Tournament, scheduled for March 6-9 in Las Vegas. A third or fourth-place finish would give the team a first round bye.
The eight WCC wins are Portland’s most since a 10-4 finish during the 1995 season and the fifth most in 31 seasons affiliated with the league.
The Pilots held Pepperdine in single digits for over 15 minutes in the first period and took a 39-18 halftime lead on a steal and layup by Campbell in the closing seconds of the period.
The Portland lead ballooned to as much as 34 in the second half as the Pilots got everyone involved. Portland had 19 assists on 29 field goals and limited Pepperdine to 23 percent shooting from the field.
The Waves were 0-for-11 in the first half from the three-point line and finished 2-for-20 in the game. Portland meanwhile, showed why it is No. 3 nationally in three-point percentage and finished 8-for-17 from beyond the arc. The Pilots finished the game at 48 percent from the field.
“Motivationally, we’re in a good place since we are still playing for something,” Reveno added. “We are trying hard to be a good team and trying hard to be keep improving. Staying focused this late in the season is not an easy task, so I’m proud of the guys.”
Portland will host Loyola Marymount in the regular season home finale on Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com and over the phone at (503) 224-4400.
