Box Score
Pilots Hold Off Dons for Big WCC Road Victory
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. --- Portland sophomore guard Kevin Bailey scored a game-high 18 points as the Pilots held on for a 78-76 road victory over the San Francisco Dons Thursday evening in West Coast Conference men’s basketball action at War Memorial Gymnasium. Ryan Nicholas added 15 points and Thomas van der Mars finished with 14 points and nine rebounds to lead the Pilots (10-17, 3-9 WCC).
The win snapped a six-game losing streak for Portland against the Dons (11-14, 4-8). Chris Adams and Cole Dickerson finished with 17 points apiece for San Francisco.
The close victory evened the season series between the two programs and provided some retribution for the Pilots after Dickerson drilled a buzzer-beater for a 70-67 win in Portland on Jan. 24.
In another back-and-forth game between the two schools that featured four ties and eight lead changes, Portland answered every San Francisco run down the stretch to hold on for the win.
Dickerson hit a three-pointer and then made a short jumper to give USF its first second half lead at 47-45, but Tanner Riley drilled a three-pointer at the other end to give the lead back to the Pilots. Six straights points from Dons guard De’End Parker followed by an Adams jumper made it 55-54 USF, but Bailey hit a three-pointer and Nicholas a jumper to give the Pilots another edge.
With the Pilots leading 70-64 with 3:14 remaining, USF went on an 8-2 run to tie the game with 2:01 left. Van der Mars made a pair of free throws and then Pilot freshman Bryce Pressley corralled a long rebound and found a streaking van der Mars for a fast break dunk and a 76-72 lead with 53 seconds remaining.
Following a Cody Doolin layup, Pressley again found van der Mars on a 3-on-2 for an easy finish with 14 seconds left. Parker made a pair of free throws with 6.0 seconds to make it 78-76 and the Pilots were able to break the full court pressure. Pressley was fouled with 1.4 seconds left and missed the free throw, but the Pilots collected the loose ball as time expired.
Portland shot 50 percent from the field and limited USF to 41 percent overall. The Pilots also gained a 40-33 rebounding margin and 38-20 edge in points in the paint.
Riley added 11 points off the bench for Portland in 16 minutes, while Riley Barker finished with eight points and a pair of big blocked shots. Rodgers dished out eight assists in 34 solid minutes.
The Pilots raced to a 40-33 halftime lead as Bailey, playing without a facial mask for the first time since WCC play began, scored 13 first half points to lead the way.
Portland will conclude its road trip at Brigham Young on Saturday in Provo, Utah. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. (PT) tip-off at the Marriott Center.
