SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Late turnovers were costly for the visiting Portland Pilots in a 70-68 loss to the Santa Clara Broncos on Saturday night in West Coast Conference basketball action at the Leavey Center. In a game that featured 14 ties and seven lead changes, the Pilots had chances to win late but came up short.

Sophomore Josh McSwiggan led the Pilots (6-11, 0-4 WCC) with 17 points, while freshman forward Tahirou Diabate had his second straight impact game since moving back into the starting lineup. After matching his season high with 13 points on Thursday against San Diego, Diabate recorded his first career double-double with season highs of 15 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Senior guard Matt Hauser scored a game-high 22 points for the Broncos (6-10, 3-1). Freshman forward Josip Vrankic added 19 points, while junior KJ Feagin was held to 10 points, eight below his season average.

The largest lead for either team was eight points and it was primarily a one or two possession game down the stretch. Trailing by four with less than two minutes left, freshman point guard JoJo Walker made back-to-back layups to cut the deficit to one at 69-68.

The Pilots got a defensive stop and called timeout with 7.6 seconds left, but Portland committed its sixth turnover in the final five minutes on the ensuing possession. Santa Clara made one of two free throws and Franklin Porter's desperation heave from halfcourt was off the mark.

Portland shot 53 percent overall and held the Broncos to 42 percent from the field. The Pilots attempted just five free throws on the night, converting all five, while Santa Clara made 12-of-18 overall.

The Pilots also outrebounded its second straight opponent, gaining a 35-31 margin on the class and 43-34 edge in points in the point.

Diabate was a big part of that interior presence. He scored the team's first six points for the second straight game to get the Pilots off to a hot start. A pair of McSwiggan three-pointers gave the Pilots a 16-11 lead, but foul trouble and 16 first half points from Hauser made it a 39-35 Santa Clara lead at the half.

Portland continues WCC play next week at No. 19 Gonzaga Thursday night at 6 p.m. live on ROOT Sports Northwest. The Pilots will then host the Pacific Tigers on Saturday at 7 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.