PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland men's basketball team got a 30-point performance from the bench on the way to a 91-54 win against the Florida A&M Rattlers at home Wednesday. The 37-point margin is the largest for the Pilots against a Division I opponent since a 79-39 defeat of Loyola Marymount on Jan. 21, 2010.
The Pilots (2-0) had four players score in double figures, led by Kristian Sjolund, who had 20 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Moses Wood tacked on 18 points in his season debut and Tyler Robertson helped with 14 points and four assists.
Portland took advantage of great ball movement in Wednesday's game, piling up 17 assists on 29 made field goals. Robertson's four assists were the most for the Pilots and Juanse Gorosito also added three assists.
The Portland defense held Florida A&M to just 30.9 percent from the field, including 25 percent from three-point range. The Pilots also kept Byron Smith to 3-of-12 shooting in the game. The Rattlers did not get many second opportunities on the offensive end, as they grabbed only seven offensive rebounds and scored 17 second chance points while Portland pulled down 32 defensive rebounds.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 10-4 advantage, Portland went on a 13-0 run with 13:35 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Gorosito, to increase its lead to 23-4. The Pilots then added two points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 42-21 advantage. Portland relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down eight shots to account for 24 of its 42 points.
Portland started tacking on points in the second half almost immediately, going on a 9-0 run to grow the lead to 51-21 with 16:03 to go in the contest. The Pilots kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 91-54 win. Portland capitalized on 10 Florida A&M turnovers in the period, collecting 14 points off those turnovers.
Game Notes
» The Pilots shot well from three-point range, knocking down 11 of 27 long range attempts.
» The Pilots held the Rattlers to only 30.9 percent shooting from the field.
» Portland never trailed on the way to a 91-54 victory.
» Portland recorded 17 total assists in the game.
» The Portland bench came alive by scoring 30 points to its scoring output.
» Portland had a 42-26 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Portland defense forced 18 turnovers.
» Portland cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 10 offensive boards in the game.
» Kristian Sjolund led the Pilots with a game-high 20 points.
» Portland got a team-high six rebounds from Kristian Sjolund.
Up Next
The Pilots conclude their three-game homestand against crosstown rival Portland State on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Chiles Center.
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