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Men’s Hoops Knocks off Defending NAIA National Champion Concordia-Irvine
PORTLAND, Ore. --- Junior guard Tanner Riley led four Portland players in double figures with a game-high 27 points as the Pilots defeated reigning NAIA national champion Concordia-Irvine 79-66 Saturday night in an exhibition game at the Chiles Center.
Sophomore guard Kevin Bailey added 13 points, while junior forward Ryan Nicholas chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore David Carr was solid again at the point guard position, finishing with 10 points, seven assists, four rebounds and just one turnover.
Portland knew it would be in for a challenge against the Eagles, who travelled to the Rose City for the third straight year. The Pilots pulled out a 68-65 exhibition win two years ago and needed an overtime buzzer-beating layup by Carr last season for a 99-97 victory.
Saturday was a different story as the young Pilots jumped out to an early double digit lead that swelled to a 42-23 margin at halftime. Portland’s largest lead was 22 points early in the second period, but the Eagles were able to chip away close the deficit to 65-59 on a pair of Dakota Downs free throws.
Riley answered with his third three-pointer of the game on the next possession, but a Peter Smith layup again made it a six-point game with 2:25 remaining. Riley finished a nice backdoor pass from Carr and then made two free throws to push the margin back to double digits and seal the win.
Portland, which committed 23 turnovers against Concordia’s pressure last year, was forced into just 13 turnovers on Saturday and dished out 15 assists. The Pilots also shot 54 percent from the field and gained a 37-26 rebound advantage. Portland’s defense limited the Eagles to 37 percent from the floor and racked up nine blocked shots.
Downs paced the Eagles with 18 points, while Tim Harris finished with 16.
The Pilots will now prepare for their season-opener on Saturday, Nov. 10 at Ohio University, which returns almost its entire roster from a squad that reach the Sweet 16 a season ago. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. (Pacific) and radio coverage will begin at 10:30 a.m. on TrueTalk 800 AM and simulcast live on PortlandPilots.com.
