PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland men's basketball team fell to the Portland State Vikings 75-74 on the road Tuesday on Ismail Habib's buzzer-beating shot with 0.8 seconds left on the clock.
Habib finished a frantic closing minute that saw three lead changes by making a layup in traffic. Tyler Robertson's desperation full court heave at the buzzer missed and the Vikings stole the victory despite leading for just 36 seconds in the second half.
The Pilots (4-3) had three players score in double figures, led by Robertson, who had 28 points, five rebounds and four assists. Alimamy Koroma tacked on a double-double off the bench with 24 points and 12 rebounds and Vukasin Masic chipped in as well with 12 points.
Portland out-rebounded Portland State 46-39 in Tuesday's game, led by Koroma's 12 boards. The Pilots also pulled down 14 offensive rebounds and scored 10 second chance points, but the Vikings had 17 offensive boards and 22 second chance points.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 19-17 advantage, Portland went on an 8-0 run with 7:53 left in the first half to increase its lead to 27-17. The Pilots then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 37-28 advantage. Portland did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 26 of its 37 points close to the basket.
The margin grew to 12 early in the second half before the Vikings began chipping away at the deficit. The Pilots went scoreless for nearly five minutes as Portland State used a 10-0 run to tie the game at 60.
Robertson scored on three straight possessions to give Portland a 70-65 lead with less than two minutes remaining. Habib hit consecutive three-pointers to give PSU a 71-70 edge, but Robertson scored again to put the Pilots up one with 37 seconds left. KJ Allen got a putback on the other end, before Masic hit a tough floater in the paint with 6.6 ticks on the clock. Habib then went coast-to-coast and converted a layup to take the victory.
Game Notes
» Koroma notched an impressive double-double for the Pilots with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
» Koroma eclipsed the 20-point mark for the second straight game.
» Robertson, Koroma, and Masic combined to account for 86 percent of the Pilots points.
» Robertson has reached double figures in scoring all seven games this season.
» The Portland bench made an impact by scoring 24 points.
» Portland lost despite a 46-39 rebounding advantage.
» Tyler Robertson had a game-high 28 points and Alimamy Koroma added 24.
» Tyler Harris contributed 10 rebounds.
Up Next
The Pilots return to the Chiles Center to host the Wyoming Cowboys on Friday at 6 p.m. and then the Air Force Falcons on Sunday at 1 p.m. A special $15 Family Four Pack of tickets are now available for both games by visiting www.portlandpilots.com/FAM4.
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