PORTLAND, Ore. -- A day after nearly upsetting No. 1 North Carolina, the Portland Pilots bounced back to defeat another college basketball powerhouse with a dominant 83-71 victory over the Villanova Wildcats at Veterans Memorial Coliseum Friday.
The Pilots (5-3) had four players score in double figures, led by Moses Wood, who had 16 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Tyler Robertson tacked on 15 points, seven rebounds and eight assists and Kristian Sjolund chipped in as well with 14 points and six rebounds.
The Portland offense was very productive from deep, pouring in 11 threes on 24 attempts. Juanse Gorosito was the most prolific shooter for the Pilots, draining three treys in the contest.
The Portland defense held Villanova shooters to just 33.3 percent from the field, including 22 percent from three-point range.
How It Happened
After falling behind 23-19, Portland went on a 7-0 run with 4:56 left in the first half to take a 26-23 lead. The Pilots then added five points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 35-27 advantage. Portland relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down seven shots to account for 21 of its 35 points.
Portland started tacking on points in the second half almost immediately, going on a 10-0 run, finished off by Robertson's layup, to grow the lead to 45-27 with 16:38 to go in the contest. The Wildcats narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Pilots still cruised the rest of the way for the 83-71 win. Portland got out on the break in the period, scoring 11 fast break points.
Game Notes
» The Pilots shot well from three-point range, knocking down 11 of 24 long range attempts.
» The Pilots held the Wildcats to only 33.3 percent shooting from the field.
» Portland never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» The Pilots put on a passing clinic, recording an assist on 19 of 27 made field goals.
» The Portland bench came alive by scoring 27 points to its scoring output.
Up Next
The Pilots conclude the PKI on Sunday against against No. 12 Michigan State in the fifth-place game at Chiles Center. The session begins with Oregon versus Villanova at noon, followed by the Pilots and Spartans at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN. This is not a UP-ticketed home event, so all tickets must be purchased through Ticketmaster at this link.
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