PORTLAND, Ore. – Ahmed Ali scored a game-high 22 points and Michael Henn recorded a career-high 21 points as Portland never trailed in an 88-74 win against College of Idaho on Tuesday night at the Chiles Center. It marked the fifth consecutive victory for the Pilots (5-1), matching the longest winning streak for the program since the Pilots won six straight during the 2008-09 season.
Henn's previous career-high was 15 points, which he recorded three times during the 2018-19 season while at Cal Baptist. He eclipsed that by halftime on Tuesday.
Henn's 16 first-half points jump-started the Pilots out of the gates. Latrell Jones and Henn closed the half with back-to-back threes to give Portland a 40-25 lead at the break. The Yotes were held to 28 percent shooting in the period.
Ali took over after intermission as he went a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and scored 15 of his 20 points in the period. It marked his third consecutive 20-point game and fourth overall this season.
Clythus Griffith Jr. added 11 points and three steals off the bench for the Pilots.
Portland led by 20 early in the second half and held a comfortable lead throughout as all active players on the Pilot roster saw court action. The Yotes (1-4) cut the margin to 11 twice in the closing minutes, but the result was never in doubt.
The Pilots shot 53 percent from the field and limited the Yotes to 34 percent overall. Portland forced 21 turnovers and ran up a 24-9 edge in points off of turnovers. C of I countered with a 47-33 rebounding margin and 20-10 advantage in second chance points.
College of Idaho is a member of the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) in the NAIA ranks with a strong basketball history. The Yotes have lost four straight, all road games against Division I opposition. Ricardo Time led four Yotes in double figures with 19 points.
The Pilots are next scheduled to play Montana State on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at noon live on NBC Sports Northwest and 910 ESPN-Portland (KMTT). Portland is finalizing an agreement to add another non-conference game on Saturday. Visit PortlandPilots.com for the latest updates.