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Pilots Drop Final Non-Conference Game to UTPA
PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland junior forward Ryan Nicholas recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds, but the Pilots dropped their final non-conference game of the season to University of Texas-Pan American, 56-52, Saturday night at the Chiles Center.
Senior guard Derrick Rodgers added a career-high 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting off the bench, but the Pilots (7-8) struggled as a team to 34 percent shooting from the field in the loss.
Brandon Provost recorded a game-high 20 points for the Broncs, while Ruben Cabrera and Aaron Urbanus added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Portland dominated the rebounding department by a 44-22 margin, including 23 offensive rebounds, but was just 3-for-16 from three-point range and made only 5-of-7 free throws. The Broncs (7-8) shot 44 percent from the field, 8-for-17 on threes and 12-of-15 at the foul line.
The Pilots led 23-19 at the half, but UTPA shot 63 percent in the second half and made 6-of-9 three-pointers in the period.
Trailing 41-35, Nicholas drilled a three-pointer and converted a three-point play to tie the game at 41-41. UTPA’s Aaron Urbanus answered with a big three-pointer and followed with a free throw to push the margin to four. A Rodgers jumper brought Portland to within three at 52-49 with 55 seconds left and after a defensive stop the Pilots pushed the ball up the court and found Kevin Bailey unguarded on the right wing. His game-tying attempt missed long and the Broncs sealed the victory with four free throws in the final 12 seconds.
Portland owned a 32-14 edge in points in the paint and 12-3 margin in second chance points. The Broncs were able to gain an 18-9 advantage in points off of turnovers despite forcing just one more on the night than the Pilots (13-12).
The Pilots played without freshman guard Oskars Reinfelds who missed the game with a foot injury.
Portland will now shift its focus to the West Coast Conference schedule, which begins with a three-game Southern California road swing. The Pilots will play at San Diego on Thursday at 8 p.m. in a game televised live on Comcast SportsNet Northwest. The team will then take on Pepperdine on Saturday at 7 p.m. After a week break, UP will return to Los Angeles to face Loyola Marymount on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m.
