PORTLAND, Ore. – For the second straight game, the Portland Pilots and junior forward Gabe Taylor pulled out late heroics to earn a victory. Taylor capped a career night by drilling a three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left to give the Pilots an 85-82 victory over the South Dakota Coyotes Friday night at the Moda Center.

The first seven Portland games of the season were all decided by double digits, but the last two have been adventurous finishes. Eleven days ago the Pilots pulled off an improbable 90-89 win in double overtime over UT-Rio Grande Valley. Portland tied the game at the end of regulation, the first overtime and then won on a Taylor tip-in in the closing seconds to win that game.

This time Taylor stepped out and showed his versatility by going 4-of-5 from three-point range. He finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double.

The dynamic Portland backcourt duo of senior Alec Wintering and sophomore Jazz Johnson continued their impressive run by combining for 45 points and 14 assists. The tandem entered the game as the fifth highest scoring teammates in the nation.

The Pilots (6-3) also got a boost from redshirt freshman Chier Maker, who made his collegiate debut and finished with two points and eight rebounds in 24 bench minutes. A native of Sydney, Australia by way of the South Sudan, Maker just became eligible following final exams earlier this week.

Wintering continued his assault on the UP record breaks by becoming Portland's career leader in free throws made, passing Hall of Famer Rick Raivio (1976-80, 454) with 455. He also moved into eighth place on the Pilots all-time scoring list, passing former teammate Kevin Bailey (2011-15, 1,386). The Charlotte, N.C. native finished the night with 1,399 and trails Jared Stohl by just two points for seventh place.

The Pilots built a 14-point lead midway through the second half and seemed in control, but the Coyotes (8-5) showed their grit and continued to chip away at the deficit.

Matt Mooney hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 80-80 with 1:13 remaining, but Wintering answered with a tough jumper in the lane. Mooney drove and finished at the rim to tie it with 25 seconds left and the Pilots called timeout to set up the final play. Wintering received a high screen and Taylor popped to his right uncovered and let it fly.

South Dakota had 2.2 seconds remaining and threw a deep pass to Tyler Flack at the top of the key. His turnaround three-pointer looked good, but rimmed out at the buzzer.

Portland caught fire from three-point range behind Taylor and Johnson, who finished 5-of-6 from deep. The Pilots went 12-of-22 overall from beyond the arc and had a 40-38 rebounding edge. The Coyotes stuck around by forcing 16 UP turnovers that led to a 20-9 margin in points off of turnovers.

Six Coyotes reached double figures led by 15 from Mooney, while Flack had 14 points and 10 boards.

Portland will return to the Moda Center on Sunday to take on the Oregon State Beavers for a 3 p.m. tip-off. The Beavers take on Long Beach State Friday night to cap the doubleheader. Tickets for Sunday's game are available at RoseQuarter.com and the game will be televised live on the Pac-12 Network.