PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland men's basketball team got 19 points from Moses Wood and a season high 17 from Juanse Gorosito, but Julian Strawther erupted for 40 points to lead No. 14 Gonzaga to an 82-67 victory over the Pilots on Saturday.
Tyler Robertson added 10 points, five rebounds and eight assists for the Pilots (11-13, 3-6 WCC), while Mike Meadows helped out with 10 points and two steals from the bench.
The Portland offense was impressive from deep, making 10 threes on 24 attempts. Wood hit five treys for the Pilots in the contest.
The Portland defense forced 13 Gonzaga turnovers, but the Bulldogs forced 18 Pilot turnovers and gained a 31-10 edge in points off of turnovers.
How It Happened
After falling behind 24-14, Portland went on a 7-0 run with 10:57 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Wood, to narrow its deficit to 24-21. Gonzaga answered back and added to its lead, leaving the Pilots down 35-29 entering halftime.
Gonzaga kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 39-29 advantage before Portland went on an 8-0 run, finished off by Wood's three, to shrink the deficit to 39-37 with 16:55 to go in the contest. Gonzaga responded to extend the margin before Gorosito buried consecutive three-pointers to make it a 56-54 deficit.
Strawther answered with a three-pointer and then Malachi Smith scored six straight points for Gonzaga to push the margin back to double digits. The lead would grow to as much as 16 points down the stretch.
Game Notes
» The Pilots shot well from three point range, knocking down 10 of 24 long range attempts.
» The Portland defense forced 13 turnovers.
» The Pilots were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying five blocks as a team.
» Moses Wood led the Pilots with 19 points.
» Portland got a team-high five rebounds from Tyler Robertson.
Up Next
Portland hits the road for a trip to Southern California with a Thursday game at San Diego at 7 p.m. The team then faces Pepperdine on Saturday at 5 p.m.
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