Box Score
SANTA CLARA, Calif. --- The Portland Pilots earned a weekend road sweep in the Bay Area for the second time in 34 years of West Coast Conference play and junior guard Jared Stohl became the most prolific three-point shooter in school history in a 74-52 victory over the Santa Clara Broncos Saturday night at the Leavey Center.
Stohl entered Saturday’s game with 208 career three-pointers and needing four more to pass Casey Frandsen on the school career charts. The Marysville, Wash. native drilled three in the first half to tie the mark and took sole possession of the record on his first attempt of the second period with 19:25 remaining.
Portland defeated San Francisco on Thursday 74-58 to set up the Bay Area Road sweep. The only other sweep by the Pilots in a weekend Bay Area road trip came during the 2000-01 season with wins over Saint Mary’s and San Francisco.
The Pilots (14-7, 5-2) conclude the first half of league play on a four-game winning streak and in sole possession of third place with a 5-2 record. The Broncos (9-15, 1-6) fall into eighth place in the WCC standings at the midway point.
Stohl finished with a team-high 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. It marked the fourth straight game with at least four three-pointers. He has started the last four games in the absence of leading scorer Nik Raivio (Achilles’ strain) and is averaging 18.5 points in those games.
Junior forward Luke Sikma recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Senior point guard T.J. Campbell added 13 points and five assists.
After a slow start that included six turnovers in the first eight minutes, Portland took control of the game with a 28-5 run over the final 9:17 of the half to take a 42-22 lead into the break.
The largest lead of the game on an Ethan Niedermeyer jumper with 15:30 remaining to cap a 9-2 run and give the Pilots a 57-34 lead. The margin would get no closer than 17 down the stretch.
Portland’s defense was again solid, holding the host Broncos to 36 percent shooting from the field. The Pilots shot 51 percent from the floor and made 10-of-17 three-pointers. Portland also gained a 38-28 edge in rebounds.
Freshman Robert Smith scored a game-high 17 points for the Broncos and Marc Trasolini added 10.
The Pilots will look to extend their win streak at No. 8 Gonzaga on Thursday at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. The Bulldogs (17-4, 6-1) are tied atop the WCC standings with Saint Mary’s after losing at San Francisco, 81-77, in overtime on Saturday. The game will be on the radio live at 95.5 The Game (FM) in the Portland metro area.
