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Saint Mary's Knocks of Pilots at the Chiles Center
PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland senior forward Ryan Nicholas led four Pilots in double figures with 12 points, but the Saint Mary's Gaels came away with a 72-63 victory in West Coast Conference action before 2,304 fans at the Chiles Center.
Freshman point guard Alec Wintering finished with 11 points for the Pilots (9-7, 1-3 WCC), while junior guards Bobby Sharp and Kevin Bailey added 10 each. Bailey, the fourth leading scorer in the WCC entering the game at 17.5 points, fouled out in just 21 minutes of action.
Saint Mary's was led by senior guard Stephen Holt, a Portland native and former Jesuit Crusader, with a game-high 19 points. He was held to 5-of-13 shooting from the field, but made 9-of-11 free throws. Senior forward Beau Levesque added 16 points, while junior center Brad Waldow chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds.
Portland built an early 15-8 lead on a layup by Nicholas, but the Gaels (11-4, 2-1) would use a 7-0 run capped by Holt's three-point play to tie the game at 19. The Pilots used two free throws by Nicholas to take a 28-24 lead, but Saint Mary's closed the half with a 15-5 run for a 39-33 advantage at the break.
The margin would grow to 49-37 on a Levesque three-pointer, but the Pilots would battle back to make it a one possession game. Sharp drilled a three-pointer and then Saint Mary's backup center Matt Hodgson was issued a Flagrant 2 and ejected from the game for swinging his elbows. Thomas van der Mars hit one free three and then back-to-back baskets by Wintering and Voldy Gerun made it a 52-50 deficit with 8:23 remaining.
Saint Mary's responded by scoring the next eight points to make it a double digit margin and the Gaels would hit free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
Portland shot 38 percent from the field, while the Gaels finished at 46 percent on the night. Saint Mary's outrebounded the Pilots 35-28 and had a 16-8 advantage in points off of turnovers despite committing 11 to Portland's 10.
The Pilots will conclude their five-game homestand on Thursday when the No. 24-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs visit the Chiles Center for an 8 p.m. tip-off. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU, while radio coverage will begin at 7:30 p.m. on 1080 The Fan (KFXX).
GIF Highlights:
Kevin Bailey got the Pilots off to a hot start, scoring six points en route to an early 15-8 lead.
Korey Thieleke with an incredible block in the second half, one of five Pilot blocks on the night.
Saint Mary's center Matt Hodgson was ejected from the game midway through the second half on this play, which was ruled a Flagrant 2 foul.
The Pilots were down 49-37 with 15 minutes left, but the Pilots went on a run – powered by some big shots from Alec Wintering.
Portland would get it as close as two points at 54-52 with eight minutes left on this lay-in from Volodymyr Gerun, but couldn't get any closer as the Gaels pulled away for the 72-63 win.
