Box Score I Video Highlights
PORTLAND, Ore. --- The University of Portland honored its five graduating seniors before tip-off and then secured the school’s second 20-win season as a Division I institution with a 72-49 win over Lewis & Clark before 1,818 Tuesday night at the Chiles Center. Robin Smeulders recorded his 1,000th career point in his final regular season game and led the Pilots with 12 points and nine rebounds in the victory.
Portland (20-9, 10-4 WCC) will now get ready for the Zappos.com WCC Championships, slated for March 5-8 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The Pilots earned a first round bye and will face the winner of San Diego-Santa Clara in the quarterfinals. The contest is scheduled for Saturday at approximately 8 p.m. and will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet Northwest.
Tuesday’s regular season finale served as a tune up for the tournament, but also a chance to recognize the accomplishments of the five-player senior class. Taishi Ito, Ethan Niedermeyer and Smeulders comprised head coach Eric Reveno’s first recruiting class, while junior college transfers Nik Raivio and T.J. Campbell helped propel the Pilots into a postseason contender.
Raivio was forced to watch from the sidelines with a protective boot on his strained right Achilles tendon. He has missed 12 straight games and will not be available at the WCC Tournament, but may return for postseason action if the Pilots are to advance.
Smeulders entered the game one point shy of 1,000 and eclipsed the mark less than four minutes into the action. Portland jumped out to a 10-0 lead and used its bench liberally to take 36-25 margin into halftime.
The Pioneers (10-16, 9-7 NWC) of the Division III Northwest Conference did not roll over though, and pulled within eight at 51-43 on a Scott Pisapia three-point play with 9:39 left in regulation. The Pilots would hold the visitors to just two points over the next 6:32 and cruise down the stretch.
A total of 10 Pilots played 13 or more minutes in the game, while all 11 Portland players that saw action scored. Campbell flirted with a triple-double with 10 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in just 25 minutes of action.
Portland held the Pioneers to 28.8 percent shooting for the game, while shooting 49.2 percent offensively. The Pilots did not attempt a free throw in the game, while Lewis and Clark was 7-of-9 at the charity stripe.
The only other 20-win season for the Pilots came during the 1994-95 campaign when Rob Chavez coached Portland to a 21-8 overall record.
