Box Score
PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots seemed primed for yet another upset Thursday night at the Chiles Center, but the No. 18 Gonzaga Bulldogs caught fire to pull away down the stretch in a 93-78 victory before a crowd of 4,987. Portland led 43-42 at halftime, but saw a six game winning streak snapped as the Bulldogs scored 51 second half points behind 63 percent shooting from the field in the period.
Junior guards T.J. Campbell and Nik Raivio led the Pilots (15-8, 6-2) with 19 points each, while junior forward Robin Smeulders added a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore forward Luke Sikma came off the bench to add 10 points and five rebounds.
Junior guard Matt Bouldin led all scores with 26 points and eight assists for the Bulldogs (17-4, 8-0). All five starters scored in double figures for Gonzaga, with senior point guard Jeremy Pargo adding 22 points.
Gonzaga has now won nine in a row and takes a full two-game lead in the WCC standings. The Pilots are now tied with Saint Mary’s in the loss column with two each. The Gaels (18-3, 5-2) play at Santa Clara on Saturday.
Playing in front of a national television audience on ESPN2 on Thursday, both teams came out on fire. Raivio had 17 first-half points to pace the Pilots, but Bouldin answered with 18 in the first stanza to keep the game tight.
Gonzaga used a 7-0 run to start the second half to regain the lead, but the Pilots tied it back up at 49-49 on a pair of free throws by Smeulders. The Bulldogs took the lead for good on a layup by Stephen Gray which sparked an 8-0 run. Gonzaga would push the margin to 15 points, but the Pilots again bounced back and cut the deficit to 79-73 on an Ethan Niedermeyer three-pointer with 4:19 remaining.
That would be as close as the Pilots would get though and Gonzaga milked the clock for layups and converted free throws down the stretch to pull away.
Gonzaga made its first 16 free throws and finished 23-for-31 at the stripe. The Bulldogs also drained 8-of-16 three-pointers. Portland, which entered the game ranked seventh nationally in three-point percentage, made 11-of-26 beyond the arc. Gonzaga shot 53 percent from the floor compared to Portland’s 43 percent.
The Bulldogs gained a 42-20 edge in points in the paint, but UP’s bench gained a 17-2 margin. The game featured nine ties and 12 lead changes.
Portland will now hit the road and face the San Francisco Dons on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m., then take on the Saint Mary’s Gaels on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m.
