GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Vukasin Masic scored a career-high 32 points to help lead the Portland men's basketball team past the North Dakota Fightin' Hawks 83-72 on the road Saturday. The win improved the Pilots to 6-5 overall, while the Fightin' Hawks (6-4) lost at home for the first time in four games this season.
The Pilots had three players score in double figures, led by Masic, who added five rebounds and four assists with no turnovers. Tyler Robertson tacked on 16 points and Chris Austin chipped in as well with 10 points and two steals.
Portland did an excellent job taking care of the basketball, dishing out 13 assists while turning the ball over six times.
Portland forced 14 North Dakota turnovers and gained a 14-8 in points off takeaways.
How It Happened
The Pilots opened the game with an 8-0 run following a Robertson three-pointer, but UND responded with a 16-3 run late in the period and took a 36-33 lead into halftime.
After intermission, Portland managed to gain control with an Alimamy Koroma three-pointer for a 44-43 lead. There was a tie and two lead changes before Masic and Robertson took over late.
Masic hit a pair of free throws and then Robertson buried a three-pointer for a 70-66 lead. Tyler Harris hit a runner and then Masic hit a clutch three for a 75-68 edge with 2:35 remaining. The Pilots made their free throws late to secure the victory.
Game Notes
» Portland lit it up from beyond the arc, knocking down 10 treys in the game.
» The Pilots held the Fightin' Hawks to only 38.3 percent shooting from the field.
» The Portland defense forced 14 turnovers.
» Portland turned the ball over six times while dishing out 13 assists.
» Portland got a team-high seven rebounds from Alimamy Koroma.
» Thomas Oosterbroek provided a spark off the bench with seven points, two rebounds and an assist in 10 minutes of action.
Up Next
The Pilots will head home for final exams before traveling to the Jerry Colangelo Classic hosted at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz. on Dec. 16. Portland and Grand Canyon will cap a quadruple header with a 6:30 PM (PT) tip-off.
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