PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland led No. 1 Gonzaga by seven at halftime, but the Bulldogs came back for an 85-72 victory in the West Coast Conference men's basketball opener for both schools on Thursday night before an announced crowd of 4,633 at the Chiles Center.

It marked the first time that the Pilots (8-8, 0-1 WCC) hosted a top-ranked team at the Chiles Center, which opened in 1984. Portland fell to 0-8 all-time against No. 1 ranked Associated Press opponents.

Junior guard JoJo Walker led the Pilots with 15 points and five assists off the bench, while graduate transfer Isaiah White added 12 points.

Killian Tillie had a game-high 22 points to pace the Bulldogs (15-1, 1-0) as all five starters reached double figures.

Gonzaga jumped out to an early 11-point lead as the Pilots had five costly turnovers in the opening minutes, but Portland settled down and rallied with a 17-3 run capped by consecutive layups from Quincy Ferebee midway through the first period.

The Pilots flustered Gonzaga by jamming the paint defensively and aggressively double-teaming the post. Portland's offense then got going and the back-to-back baskets by freshman point guard Chase Adams gave the Pilots a 42-35 lead at halftime.

Malcolm Porter opened the second half with a three-pointer and runner in the lane to give Portland its largest lead of the game at 45-37, but then Gonzaga took over.

The Bulldogs held the Pilots scoreless for more than six minutes and rattled off an 18-2 run to flip the script. Portland pulled within six on a pair of Walker free throws with 9:37 left, but Tillie made a pair of threes and Kispert added a three-point play to give Gonzaga separation and a 15-point lead.

The Pilots shot 52 percent from the field and made 8-of-13 three-pointers, but turnovers were the difference. Portland committed 14 turnovers and forced just four, while the Bulldogs gained a 22-8 margin in points off of turnovers. Gonzaga also had a 13-3 edge in second chance points.

The Pilots will look to snap a five-game losing streak when they host the San Francisco Dons on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Chiles Center. Tickets are still available by visiting PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or calling the Pilot Box Office at 503-943-GOUP (4687). The game will be televised live on NBC Sports Northwest.