Box Score
MALIBU, Calif. --- The Portland Pilots fell by a 66-64 margin in a hard-fought West Coast Conference road game against the Pepperdine Waves Thursday night at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Pilots missed a three-pointer and jumper just before the final buzzer in a game that featured eleven ties and ten lead changes. Luke Sikma and Nemanja Mitrovic had 19 points each in the loss for the Pilots.
The defeat spoiled a historic day for Sikma, who passed Rick Raivio (1977-80, 910) for the Portland career rebounding record. Sikma grabbed seven boards on the day and now has 915 for his career.
After a Gus Clardy free throw gave the Waves (11-16, 5-5 WCC) a 66-64 edge with 9.5 seconds remaining, the Pilots drew up a play for a Mitrovic, who entered as the nation’s leader in three-point percentage. His contested three from the top of the key missed off the rim to the right and caromed to freshman Tim Douglas. Douglas’ rushed baseline 15-footer missed short as time expired.
Pepperdine erased a two-point halftime deficit with an 11-3 run midway through the second half. A jumper by Clardy and free throw by Dane Suttle, Jr. made it 50-42 Waves. Portland answered with a 14-3 run sparked by five points from freshman Ryan Nicholas. Two free throws by Mitrovic made it 63-61 Portland with 1:46 remaining, but Jackson drilled a jumper and two free throws on the next two possessions to give the Waves a 65-63 edge with 1:06 left. Sikma made one of two free throws on Portland’s next possession and after a defensive stop Douglas missed a runner in the lane. Clardy picked up the rebound and was fouled, making one free throw to set up the final sequence.
Portland (17-8, 4-5 WCC) struggled to 37 percent shooting for the game, while the Waves finished at 44 percent. Mitrovic finished 5-for-9 from three-point range and also grabbed six rebounds. Sikma finished 7-for-10 from the field and added three assists. Pilot leading scorer Jared Stohl struggled to a 0-for-8 shooting performance and finished with just two points.
Mychel Thompson scored a team-high 18 points for the Waves, while Lorne Jackson added 15.
The teams had three ties and five lead changes in the opening period as Sikma was saddled with two quick fouls and played just nine minutes before the break. Stohl was also held scoreless in the period, but Riley provided a lift with eight points off the bench to give Portland a 31-29 halftime lead.
Portland will conclude the road trip with a game at Loyola Marymount on Saturday at 3 p.m. The will be televised live on FSN West and on the radio at 800 AM (KPDQ).
