SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Tyler Robertson finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead Portland to a 74-68 win over Southeast Missouri State Saturday in the second game of the Incarnate Word Tournament hosted at the McDermott Center.
Robertson also dished out five assists with no turnovers while recording his second double-double of the season. Moses Wood added an efficient 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting including 3-for-3 from three-point range. Chris Austin finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.
The Pilots (6-2) led for most of the second half and created separation in the closing minutes. Freshmen Chika Nduka and Yaru Harvey provided big boosts off the bench. Nduka had eight points, six rebounds and two steals, while Harvey played a season-high 17 minutes and dished out four assists while playing solid defense.
Nduka forced a turnover and then dished an assist to Matheus Silveira for a 62-55 lead with 4:02 left. Wood then buried his third three-pointer of the day to give the Pilots a 65-59 lead. Nduka grabbed a rebound on the ensuing possession and hit a pair of free throws for an eight-point lead with 1:35 remaining. The Pilots converted free throws the rest of the way to secure the win.
Portland shot 39 percent overall, but finished 7-for-17 from three-point range and 23-for-28 at the free throw line. SEMO shot 43 percent from the floor, made 10-of-25 threes, but made just 6-of-10 free throws. The Pilots took advantage of 15 Redhawks (3-3) turnovers to gain an 18-8 edge in points off of turnovers.
Portland had a 33-30 lead at halftime as Robertson nearly hit his double-double in the first period. The Melbourne, Australia native had 11 points and nine rebounds at the break.
Portland concludes the tournament against host Incarnate Word on Sunday with a 12 p.m. (PT) tip-off. The game will have radio coverage on 910 ESPN Portland (KMTT) and other live links at PortlandPilots.com.