LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Santa Clara Broncos came out firing early and cruised to a 76-62 victory over Portland Thursday in the first round of the University Credit Union WCC Basketball Tournament at the Orleans Arena. The Pilots finish the season with a 9-23 overall record, while the No. 7 seeded Broncos advance to face No. 6 Pepperdine on Friday at 8 p.m.

Junior guard JoJo Walker led four Pilots in double figures with 15 points. Chase Adams finished with 13 points, while Malcolm Porter had 12 and Jacob Tryon added 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

DJ Mitchell led all scorers with 17 points for the Broncos (20-12), who also defeated Portland in the regular season finale at the Leavey Center last Saturday. Trey Wertz and Tahj Eaddy added 13 points apiece for Santa Clara.

The Broncos led from start-to-finish and shot 46 percent from the field, while holding Portland to 39 percent overall. Santa Clara had a 41-30 rebounding edge and 18-8 margin in assists.

The Pilots were once again without leading scorer Isaiah White (ankle) and struggled to get going offensively in the first half. Portland shot just 27 percent in the period compared to 54 percent for the Broncos who closed the half on a 9-0 run for a 42-23 lead at halftime.

The margin grew to as much as 24 points midway through the second half. Portland cut it to 12 on a Porter three-pointer with 2:00 remaining, but that would be as close as it would get.

The WCC Basketball Championships continue with second round games on Friday, followed by the quarterfinals on Saturday. The men's and women's semifinals and championships are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, respectively.