LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Santa Clara shot 52 percent from the field and knocked down 13-of-27 three-pointers to pull away for a 91-67 victory over the shorthanded Portland Pilots in a quarterfinal game at the University Credit Union WCC Basketball Tournament Saturday night at the Orleans Arena. The Pilots drop to 18-14 overall, while the Broncos improve to 21-10 and move on to face No. 19 Saint Mary's in Monday's semifinals.
The Pilots will now evaluate postseason opportunities after a successful first year under head coach Shantay Legans. The team's 18 wins are the most since the 2010-11 Pilots won 20 games. Portland will return every key contributor as all active players on the roster at the end of the season were freshmen or sophomores in terms of eligibility.
With starting point guard Mike Meadows out (back) and four players coming off of 39 minute efforts in Friday's win over San Diego, Portland ran out of gas against an experienced and efficient Santa Clara squad.
Chris Austin led the way with 19 points for the Pilots, while Tyler Robertson added 14 points and six rebounds.
Jalen Williams led four Broncos in double figures with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting. PJ Pipes added 21 points, while Josip Vrankic and Keshawn Justice chipped in 19 and 16 points, respectively.
A day after dishing out 18 assists with just five turnovers in a 73-55 win over San Diego, Portland committed 12 turnovers with just six assists against the Broncos. The Pilots shot 35 percent overall and were just 5-of-16 from three-point range.
Santa Clara jumped out to an early double-digit lead by knocking down 4-of-5 three-pointers, but a Kristian Sjolund dunk pulled the Pilots within four at 18-14. The Broncos then erupted behind a combined 31 first half points from Pipes and Williams to take a 43-28 halftime lead.
The lead grew to as much as 26 points early in the second half. Moses Wood buried a step-back jumper to get the Pilots within 72-53, but Santa Clara answered with a Justice three-pointer and Portland would get no closer.
No. 1 Gonzaga will meet fourth-seeded San Francisco in Monday's other WCC Tournament semifinal. The Dons defeated BYU by a 75-63 margin on Saturday to advance.