PROVO, Utah – A one possession game early in the second half turned into a lopsided final as BYU pulled away for a 69-45 victory over Portland in the West Coast Conference opener for both teams Thursday night at the Marriott Center. The Cougars extended their winning streak to nine games with the victory.

The Pilots (6-8, 0-1 WCC) had two shots to take the lead early in the second half, but both rimmed out and the Cougars then held Portland scoreless for a stretch of 6:32 to open a 17-point margin.

Yoeli Childs and Elijah Bryant each recorded double-doubles for the Cougars (12-3, 1-0). Childs finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds, while Bryant logged 22 points and 15 rebounds.

Freshman guard JoJo Walker was the lone Pilot in double figures with 11 points as the Pilots finished with a season-low in points and field goal percentage (.293).

BYU dominated the interior with a 46-28 rebounding margin and 40-18 edge in points in the paint. The Cougars finished at 50 percent from the field and made 14-of-19 free throws. The Pilots made just 4-of-13 at the foul line for the game.

Portland had the momentum early in the second half as Walker buried his third three-pointer of the game to make it a 36-35 deficit. McKay Cannon and Franklin Porter then traded baskets, before the drought hit Portland.

The Pilots managed through a pair of long dry spells in the first half and trailed just 31-24 at the break. Portland offset six first half turnovers by forcing six from BYU and drilling five three-pointers. BYU used a 10-0 run midway through the period and held the Pilots scoreless for the final 2:16 of the half.

Portland will head back home to continue WCC play against the San Francisco Dons on Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Chiles Center. Tickets for all remaining home games are available by visiting PortlandPilots.com/Tickets, or by calling (503) 943-Go-UP. Fans can also text 'Basketball' to (503) 943-Go-UP for more information.