PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland men's basketball held Lewis & Clark to just 26.9 percent shooting from the field on the way to an 89-62 victory against the Pioneers in Monday's regular season-opener at the Chiles Center.
The Pilots (1-0) had four players score in double figures, led by Mike Meadows, who had 18 points and five assists. Sophomore forward Vasilije Vucinic added career-highs of 18 points, seven rebounds and three blocks and Kristian Sjolund chipped in 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
Tyler Robertson also stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Portland racked up 20 assists on 30 made field goals for the game.
Portland forced 16 Lewis & Clark turnovers while committing just nine themselves in Monday's game. The Pilots turned those takeaways into 21 points on the offensive end of the floor.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 27-17 advantage, Portland went on a 13-0 run with 6:23 left in the first half to increase its lead to 40-17. The Pilots then added one point to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 46-22 advantage. Portland capitalized on 11 Lewis & Clark turnovers in the period, turning them into 13 points on the other end of the floor.
Portland kept its lead intact before going on a 6-0 run to grow the lead to 73-49 with 5:55 to go in the contest. The Pilots kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 89-62 win. Portland shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting six shots from deep to score 18 of its 43 points.
Game Notes
» Portland found success from three point land, knocking down 11 treys in the game.
» The Pilots held the Pioneers to only 26.9 percent shooting from the field.
» Portland never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Portland tallied 20 total assists and forced 16 turnovers.
» The Pilots were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying seven blocks as a team.
» Portland turned the ball over nine times while dishing out 20 assists.
» Freshman guard Juan Sebastian Gorosito made his collegiate debut and knocked down a pair of three-pointers for six points.
» Redshirt freshman guard Coleman Lemke also debuted in two minutes off the bench and dished out an assist.
» Transfers Wyatt Lowell, Alden Applewhite and Joey St. Pierre also made their Pilot debuts.
Up Next
The Pilots continue their three-game, season-opening homestand on Wednesday in the late game of a Portland doubleheader. The UP women host Hawaii at 5 p.m. followed by the men against Florida A&M at 7:30 p.m. The team will then host crosstown rival Portland State on Friday at 7 p.m.
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