PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland men's basketball team trailed by just one at the half but fell 81-64 to the No. 15 Saint Mary's (CA) Gaels at home Saturday.
The Pilots (13-15, 5-8 WCC) had three players score in double figures, led by Kristian Sjolund, who had 12 points. Juanse Gorosito tacked on 10 points and Tyler Robertson helped out with 10 points.
Portland did a great job disrupting Saint Mary's (CA) shots in the contest, holding the Gaels 44 percent shooting, but struggled to corral rebounds. Saint Mary's (CA) gained a 41-22 rebounding margin and 30-8 edge in second chance points.
Logan Johnson scored a career high 34 points to lead the Gaels.
How It Happened
After falling behind 21-18, Portland went on a 5-0 run with 7:54 left in the first half to take a 23-21 lead. Gorosito hit a pair of big three-pointers and then Vasilije Vucinic converted at the rim to give the Pilots a 30-25 lead, but Portland entered halftime trailing 39-38.
Saint Mary's (CA) kept widening its lead after intermission by holding the Pilots scoreless before Vucinic scored in transition with 13:32 remaining to make it a 55-40 deficit. The Gaels widened the margin to as much as 23 points late in regulation.
Game Notes
» The Portland bench came alive by adding 26 points to its scoring output.
» The Pilots were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying five blocks as a team.
» Kristian Sjolund led the Pilots with 12 points.
» Portland got three rebounds from both Joey St. Pierre and Vasilije Vucinic.
» The Pilots outshot Saint Mary's 50 percent to 44 percent, but attempted 15 less shots.
» The Gaels went 15-for-32 from three, while the Pilots struggled to 6-for-18.
» Nearly 40 former Portland men's basketball players were in attendance for an alumni gathering, including Hall of Famers Canaan Chatman, Matt Houle and Rick Raivio.
Up Next
The Pilots will conclude their home schedule with a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 18 at Chiles Center. The Portland women will host Pacific at 3 p.m. followed by the men against Santa Clara at 5:30 p.m.
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