CEDAR CITY, Utah – A memorable season that resurrected the University of Portland basketball program came to a tough end Saturday with a 77-66 loss to the Southern Utah Thunderbirds in the quarterfinals of The Basketball Classic at the America First Event Center.

The Pilots conclude the season with a 19-15 overall record and an encouraging future in head coach Shantay Legans' first year on The Bluff. Among the highlights is the program's first postseason win at the NCAA level and matching the fourth-most wins since joining Division I in 1958.

Portland's rotation at the end of the season consisted of all freshmen and sophomores in terms of eligibility as the team was the seventh youngest in the nation according to KenPom.com's 'Experience' metrics.

The team had won eight of its last ten games entering Saturday, but a week layoff between games and a hot Southern Utah squad spelled the end.

More importantly, the game was delayed early in the second half when Portland guard Chris Austin – who had 21 points in just 26 minutes – went down with a scary leg injury and needed to be carted off the court. The Pilots trailed by 12 at the time of his injury and cut the deficit to eight in the closing minutes, but couldn't get over the hump.

Tyler Robertson finished with a game-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Portland. Austin was 8-for-9 from the field before exiting the game and Chika Nduka added 10 points.

John Knight III led the way for the Thunderbirds (23-11) with 20 points and five assists, while Jason Spurgin grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds.

Portland spotted the Thunderbirds an early 12-0 lead with a slow start before Austin got going. He scored seven straight points and finished the first half with 17, but the Pilots trailed 46-34 at the break.

Southern Utah shot 54 percent from the field and made 10-of-16 three-pointers compared to 43 percent overall and 6-for-18 from beyond the arc for the Pilots. The Thunderbirds also had a 35-25 rebounding margin.

Southern Utah advances and will visit Fresno State in the tournament semifinals on Monday.