SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The Portland Pilots had a shot to win it at the buzzer, but D'Marques Tyson's contested three-pointer rimmed off and the San Francisco Dons held on for a 65-63 victory Thursday night at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. Freshman guard Marcus Shaver Jr. recorded season-highs of 22 points and seven rebounds for the Pilots.

Portland falls to 10-16 overall and 4-9 in West Coast Conference play, while the Dons improve to 14-12 and 6-7 in league action.

Shaver Jr. finished 7-of-15 from the field and converted 7-of-8 free throws on the night. Freshman guard Malcolm Porter and Tyson added nine points each for the Pilots.

Frankie Ferrari led four San Francisco players in double figures with 13 points, including a key jumper and two free throws in the final minute.

After falling behind by 10 points to start the game, the Pilots whittled the margin down and tied the game three times in the second half, but could not take the lead. A Shaver Jr. runner tied it at 32 early in the half, but the Dons responded with an 8-0 run sparked by a pair of three-pointers by Remu Raitanen off the bench.

Tyson then buried a pair of three-pointers to tie it at 40 with 11:18 remaining, but San Francisco again answered with a Jordan Ratinho layup. The Dons pushed the margin to five points three times in the closing minutes, but the Pilots answered each time, usually courtesy of Shaver Jr.

The Phoenix, Ariz. did not miss a shot and scored eight points in the final 2:15 of regulation to keep the Pilots within one possession down the stretch. After drilling a runner in the lane, he made two free throws with 1:32 left to make it a one-point game. Ferrari then hit a pull-up jumper, but Shaver again converted at the rim to make it 62-61 with 52 seconds left.

Ferrari and Shaver then traded a pair of free throws on the ensuing possessions before the Pilots fouled Chase Foster with 12.3 seconds remaining. He hit one of two, setting up the final attempt.

Portland committed six turnovers in the opening five minutes of the game to fall behind 10-0, but it was the Pilot defense that helped cut the margin to 28-26 at the half. The Pilots forced eight first half turnovers by the Dons and held San Francisco to 40 percent shooting for the game.

Portland finished at 46 percent overall, but committed 14 turnovers and the Dons gained a 36-26 in points in the paint.

The Pilots conclude the road trip on Saturday at Pacific. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be aired live on TheW.tv. Radio coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. on 910 ESPN-Portland.