PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland drilled 15 three-pointers and held Alcorn State to 37 percent shooting in a 97-65 victory Tuesday night at the Chiles Center. It was the second and final hosted game of the Corpus Christi Coastal Classic after the Pilots defeated Abilene Christian on Sunday.
The Pilots (3-2) will now head to Corpus Christi to face Colorado State on Friday and then either UTEP or Southern Illinois on Saturday in the bracketed tournament.
Portland made 15-of-31 three-point attempts, falling one shy of tying the school record set on Dec. 22, 2009 versus Idaho.
Sophomore guard D'Marques Tyson made 6-of-10 three-pointers to finish with a season-high 20 points to lead five Pilots in double figures. It was Tyson's fourth consecutive game with 10 or more points off the bench.
Senior guard Bryce Pressley added 12 points on four three-pointers, all in the decisive first half as Portland carried a 58-33 lead into the break.
Junior Jarrel Marshall finished with 11 points, while freshmen Jazz Johnson and Rashad Jackson added 10 apiece. Johnson also dished out four assists.
Portland shot a blistering 63 percent from the field and made 11-of-20 three-pointers in the first half. The Pilots' season high for three-pointers in a game last season was 10.
Tyson drilled three consecutive triples in the final three minutes of the half and Marshall buried a pair of free throws for the 25-point halftime edge.
The margin would grow to as much as 34 points in the second half as the Braves (0-3) had no answer for Portland's diverse offense.
Senior Patrick Onwenu led Alcorn State with 20 points and eight rebounds. Devonte Hampton added 18 points, while Reginald Johnson finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
Both teams will head south to Texas for the Corpus Christi Coastal Challenge. The Pilots face Colorado State (3-0) on Friday at 5:30 p.m. (PT) and then will face either UTEP (4-0) or Southern Illinois on Saturday. Both games will have live radio coverage on 910 ESPN-Portland beginning with a 30-minute pregame show.