HONOLULU, Hawaii – The Portland men's basketball team dropped a 69-56 loss to the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors on the road Thursday to open the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.

The Pilots (6-7) had two players score in double figures, led by Vukasin Masic, who had 18 points. Tyler Robertson tacked on 11 points and seven rebounds and Tyler Harris added nine points.

Matthue Cotton had 15 points and six rebounds to pace the Rainbow Warriors (8-2).

How It Happened

The first half featured two ties and three lead changes as both teams struggled offensively to start. After falling behind 5-2, Portland went on a 7-0 run with 14:00 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Masic, to take a 9-5 lead. Hawaii led by as much as eight late in the period before taking a 34-27 lead into halftime.

Hawaii kept widening its lead after intermission with a 7-0 run to begin the period, constructing a 57-45 advantage before Portland went on a 5-0 run, finished off by Masic's three, to shrink the deficit to 57-50 with 5:47 to go in the contest. The Rainbow Warriors answered with consecutive threes out of a timeout to create separation and led by double digits the rest of regulation.

Game Notes

» Portland cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 10 offensive boards in the game.
» The Pilots had 17 turnovers which led to a 19-9 edge for Hawaii in points off turnovers.
» Portland also dished out a season-low seven assists, while the Rainbow Warriors finished with 17 assists.
» Redshirt freshman Bol Dengdit got his first extensive run and produced five points, three rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes.
» Portland forward Alimamy Koroma was not available and will not participate in the Diamond Head Classic (team rules)

Up Next

The Pilots continue action at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic on Friday vs. UMass in a consolation matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. (PT) on ESPN2. The Minutemen dropped a 73-70 decision to Georgia Tech on Thursday. After an off day on Saturday, the tournament concludes on Sunday.

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