PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Portland men's basketball team dropped a 73-68 decision at Santa Clara on Saturday to close out the regular season. Jacob Tryon led the way with 15 points and nine rebounds for the Pilots, but the Broncos rode DJ Mitchell for 25 points and numerous clutch plays late.

Portland finishes the regular season with a 9-22 overall record and 1-15 in league play. The Pilots will now prepare for next week's WCC Basketball Championships. Portland will be the No. 10 seed and will take on the Broncos (19-11, 6-10 WCC) in a rematch in the opening round on Thursday at 8 p.m. at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

Tryon was 5-for-7 from three-point range and just missed his third double-double of the season. JoJo Walker added 11 points and a season-high eight assists, while junior point guard Quincy Ferebee added a season-high 11 points off the bench for the Pilots.

Portland led by one at halftime, but Santa Clara stormed out of the gates to open the second half and pushed to a 10-point lead. The Pilots responded as Tryon drilled another three-pointer and the Pilots used a 7-0 run to pull back within three.

A Ferebee layup and free throw made it a 59-56 deficit with 7:39 left. Mitchell scored four straight points to make it 65-57, but the Pilots kept battling. Tahirou Diabate made a driving layup with 1:20 remaining followed by two Ferebee free throws to cut the margin to 67-65 with 35 seconds left.
Portland fouled and Jalen Williams converted both free throws. The Pilots had two looks at three-pointers, but both missed and Mitchell made two more free throws. Walker hit a three with three seconds left to make it 71-68, but Mitchell iced the game with two more from the charity stripe.

Both teams shot 45 percent from the field for the game. Portland was 10-for-24 from three-point range and made 12-of-15 free throws. The Broncos gained a 16-7 edge in fast break points after forcing 16 Pilot turnovers.

Keshawn Justice finished with 20 points for the Broncos, while Tahj Eaddy added 15 points before fouling out.