Box Score
Portland Overcomes 22-Point Deficit to Take Lead, But No. 20 Gonzaga Wins Late
SPOKANE, Wash. --- The Portland Pilots put forth a remarkable effort to overcome a 22-point first half deficit to take a late lead, but the No. 20 Gonzaga Bulldogs were able to overcome the rally and pull out a late 71-66 win Wednesday night at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Portland senior forward Ryan Nicholas, a Spokane native, led the Pilots with 15 points and 15 rebounds in the loss.
The Bulldogs (21-3, 11-1 WCC) had redemption in mind as their only West Coast Conference loss this season was an 82-73 decision to the Pilots on Jan. 9 at the Chiles Center. It looked like the rout was on early as Gonzaga raced to a 35-13 lead with 5:18 left in the first half. Portland made a late surge and went into halftime trailing 40-23, a precursor to how the second half would play out.
The Pilots (13-11, 5-7) opened the second half with a 20-5 run despite major foul trouble to leading scorers Kevin Bailey (22 minutes) and Thomas van der Mars (16 minutes).
Freshman point guard Alec Wintering also was in foul trouble most of the second half, but the resilient Pilots would hit a trio of three-pointers, two by Bryce Pressley and one by Bobby Sharp, to take a 54-51. Volydymyr Gerun's hook shot put the Pilots up 56-52 with 5:29 remaining, making it a 43-17 Portland run dating back the first half 22-point deficit.
Gonzaga answered with six straight points from Sam Dower to make it 58-56 Bulldogs lead with 4:02 remaining. Bailey tied it up with a pair of free throws, but then Gonzaga senior guard David Stockton made a pair of clutch plays. He drew a foul at the end of the shot clock and made two free throws, then after a Pilot turnover he drilled a three-pointer to put the Bulldogs up 63-58.
Van der Mars scored on a layup, but junior guard Kevin Pangos hit another Gonzaga three-pointer to make it 66-60 with 1:40 left. Van der mars converted at the rim once more, but Stockton and Pangos went a combined 5-for-6 at the foul line in the final minute to seal the win.
It was definitely a tale of two halves as Gonzaga shot 57 percent and was 7-of-11 from three-point range in the first period. The Bulldogs were 7-of-20 from the field and just 2-of-8 from beyond the arc after the break.
Portland struggled to 38 percent shooting in the first half and committed 11 turnovers before intermission. The Pilots drilled 6-of-8 three-pointers in the second half and committed only two turnovers.
Bailey finished with 13 points, while Pressley added 11 points and six rebounds. Portland also outrebounded Gonzaga by a 33-29 margin and allowed only three offensive rebounds all night.
Pangos, Stockton and Angel Nunez scored 13 points each for Gonzaga, while Dower added 10.
Portland will return to the Chiles Center next week for its final two home games of the season. The Pilots host Loyola Marymount on Thursday at 7 p.m. and then Pepperdine on Saturday at 1 p.m. as the WCC Game of the Week.
Saturday's game will be Senior Day for Nicholas and fellow seniors Korey Thieleke, Tanner Riley and John Bailey. The quartet will be recognized on the court with a pregame presentation. A special 2-for-1 ticket offer is available for both games, while kids will receive free admission (6th grade and younger).
GIF Highlights:
Trailing by as many as 22 early, the Pilots still had the best highlight of the first half with this steal and breakaway dunk by Riley Barker.
Ryan Nicholas, who finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds in the final game in his home town of his career, scored seven straight points to close out the first half and give Portland some momentum heading into halftime.
The Pilots came out on fire in the second half, sparked by Kevin Bailey's three pointer that got things started.
With Thomas van der Mars in foul trouble all night, Voldy Gerun played crucial minutes for the Pilots and had a highlight play with this fastbreak finish off a beautiful pass from Bobby Sharp.
