PORTLAND, Ore. – Sophomore point guard Alec Wintering continued his magnificent season with a game-high 26 points to lead the Portland Pilots to a 78-61 West Coast Conference win over the Santa Clara Broncos Thursday night at the Chiles Center. The Pilot bench outscored Santa Clara's by a 31-19 margin.

Portland's depth showed as the Pilots (11-5, 2-2 WCC) were without starting guard Bryce Pressley (concussion) and then reserve center Riley Barker went down with a knee injury early in the first half and did not return.

The Pilots did benefit from the return of senior guard Kevin Bailey, who missed the previous eight games with a foot injury. Bailey scored four points in 11 minutes off the bench.

Head coach Eric Reveno turned to sophomore guard Aitor Zubizarreta for his first career start and the Pilots set the tone defensively in the first period. Portland held Santa Clara (7-9, 2-3) to 35 percent shooting en route to a 30-25 halftime lead.

The offense picked up in the second half as the Pilots shot 63 percent from the field and made 6-of-9 three-pointers. Senior guard Bobby Sharp drilled three triples in the period to create separation down the stretch.

Freshmen Jason Todd and Gabe Taylor each recorded season-highs of 12 points off the bench for the Pilots. Todd drilled 3-of-4 three-pointers for the game, while Taylor finished 5-for-5 from the field.

Wintering has been a star all season for Portland, but has picked up his production even more through the first four WCC games. After hitting the buzzer-beating game-winning three-pointer at San Diego, the Charlotte native is now averaging a league-best 21.5 points in conference games. He added four rebounds, four assists and two steals on Thursday.

Portland used its size and physicality to dominate the rebounding margin by a 34-17 margin. Senior center Thomas van der mars led the way with a game-high 12 rebounds. The Pilots shot 53 percent from the field for the game, while the Broncos finished at 44 percent overall.

The Pilots will have a quick turnaround and host the San Francisco Dons on Saturday at 1 p.m. for the WCC Game of the Week. The game will be televised live on ROOT Sports, Time Warner Cable SportsNet, and CSN California. Radio coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. on Sports 910 (KMTT).

GIF HIGHLIGHTS:


Alec Wintering was magnificent, netting 26 points on 8-13 shooting, including a perfect 9-9 from the FT line, and adding four rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
 

Gabe Taylor gave the Pilots a big lift by scoring a career high 12 points on the night and playing 26 minutes as Riley Barker left with an injury and Voldy Gerun battled foul trouble.
 

Jason Todd provided offense when the Pilots needed it, playing 23 minutes while scoring 12 points on 3-4 shooting from outside and adding five rebounds.
 

Kevin Bailey returned to action after missing eight games with an injury, playing 11 minutes and scoring four points, including these two on the beautiful no-look pass from Aitor Zubizarreta.
 

Bobby Sharp caught fire midway through the second half, hitting back-to-back-to-back three pointers to push the Pilot lead from 48-43 to 59-49.