LAS VEGAS – The San Diego Toreros pulled away in the second half for a 67-47 victory over the Portland Pilots Thursday night in the first round of the West Coast Conference Championships at the Orleans Arena.

The Toreros (19-13) defeated Portland for the third time this season and advance to face No. 6 seed Santa Clara on Friday at 8 p.m. The Pilots (7-25) ended the season with 18 straight losses.

Portland sophomore guard JoJo Walker led the way with 13 points, while sophomore guard Marcus Shaver Jr. added 10 points.

Senior Isaiah Pineiro led five Toreros in double figures with 16 points. Senior guards Isaiah Wright and Olin Carter III each finished with 13 points.

The Pilots trailed by just five at halftime, but opened the second period with a 6:50 scoreless drought before a Franklin Porter free throw ended the streak. Portland did not make its first second half field goal until Hugh Hogland's layup with 11:05 left. The Toreros still only led 43-35 at the time, but would use a 10-2 run capped by an Isaiah Pineiro dunk to make it 53-37.

Shaver Jr. buried a three-pointer to cut it to 53-43 with 4:59 remaining, but that would be as close as the Pilots would get.

Portland led 18-13 early in the first half after a three-pointer by Crisshawn Clark, but the Toreros answered with a 9-0 run. Walker buried a pair of threes to pull the Pilots close as San Diego took a 34-30 lead into the half.

San Diego gained a 15-3 margin in points off turnovers, forcing 15 while committing just nine. The Toreros also had a 37-28 rebounding advantage.

Portland's offense struggled to find a rhythm as the team shot just 33 percent from the field. San Diego finished at 43 percent overall.

The WCC Championships will continue with second round action tomorrow night. The quarterfinals will be on Saturday, with the semifinals and championship games early next week. For complete WCC Championships coverage, visit the Tournament Central page.