Box Score
Pilots Drop Road Test at Washington State
PULLMAN, Wash. --- Junior forward Ryan Nicholas scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds, but the Portland Pilots dropped a 72-60 decision to Washington State in non-conference action Saturday night at Beasley Coliseum. Brock Motum and Royce Woolridge combined for 49 points as the Cougars improved to 5-0 on their home court this season.
The Pilots (3-4) trailed by as much as 17 points in the first period and were behind 33-23 at the half. Portland pulled within six twice early in the second half as Nicholas drilled back-to-back three-pointers, but Motum and Woolridge would combine to score the next 11 points to push the margin back to double figures.
The lead would grow to 24 points late, before a final Pilot surge brought the margin back down.
Motum finished with 29 points on 10-for-20 shooting, while Woolridge had 20 on 6-of-11 from the field.
The Cougars (5-3) dominated the boards with a 45-27 rebounding advantage, including 12-4 margin on the offensive glass. WSU also had a 32-12 scoring margin in the paint. Portland took care of the basketball, committing just nine turnovers in the game.
The offense for both teams struggled in the first half as Portland shot 28 percent from the field and WSU was 36 percent. The Pilots finished at 36 percent for the game, while the Cougars made 12-of-23 in the second half to finish at 43 percent for the game.
Portland made a season-high of 11 three-pointers, five coming from Nicholas, but struggled at the free throw line (13-22). Freshman guard Oskars Reinfelds drilled both of his three-point attempts and has made his last four from beyond the arc.
Sophomore point guard David Carr finished with eight points and a season high six assists for the Pilots, while sophomore guard Kevin Bailey fouled out after 17 minutes with seven points.
Portland returns to the Chiles Center to host the No. 20-ranked UNLV Runnin’ Rebels on Tuesday at 8 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU, while tickets are still available starting at $10 for adults and $5 for kids. Tickets are available through all Ticketmaster outlets, online at TicketMaster.com or by calling the Pilot Box Office at (503) 943-7525.
