STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific Tigers held on for an 81-77 victory over the Portland Pilots in West Coast Conference men's basketball action Saturday night at the Alex G. Spanos Center. The Pilots conclude the regular season with a 13-18 overall record and 5-11 mark in West Coast Conference play. Portland will now prepare for a Thursday meeting with San Diego at the 2023 University Credit Union West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament.
The game featured nine ties and 12 lead changes with Juanse Gorosito putting the Pilots up 75-74 with 1:32 remaining. Jordan Ivy-Curry then scored four straight to give the Tigers a 78-75 edge before Kristian Sjolund converted a putback with 12 seconds to go. Ivy-Curry knocked down two more free throws before Tyler Robertson's game-tying three-point attempt went off the back room. Pacific corralled the rebound with 1.0 seconds on the clock and iced the game with a free throw.
The Pilots had three players score in double figures, led by Moses Wood, who had 26 points, nine rebounds and two steals. Kristian Sjolund added 16 points and six rebounds and Vasilije Vucinic helped out with 10 points and six rebounds off the bench.
Wood hit six of Portland's 11 three-pointers in the contest.
How It Happened
After falling behind 7-6, Portland went on a 10-0 run with 17:27 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Wood, to take a 16-7 lead. The Pilots then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down 38-37.
Pacific kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 44-40 advantage before Portland went on an 8-0 run, finished off by Wood's three, to seize a 48-44 lead with 15:58 to go in the contest. Pacific re-asserted control, outscoring the Pilots 37-29 the rest of the way to hand Portland the 81-77 loss. Portland made the most of eight offensive rebounds to tack on 16 second chance points out of 40 total in the period.
Game Notes
» Portland found success from three point land, knocking down 11 treys in the game.
» Portland lost despite a 38-35 rebounding advantage.
» Portland cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Moses Wood led the Pilots with a game-high 26 points, his seventh 20-point game of the year.
» Portland got a game-high nine rebounds from both Wood and Tyler Robertson.
» Pacific had six players in double figures with Luke Advalovic and Cam Denson scoring 12 each.
Up Next
The Pilots will enter the 2023 UCU WCC Basketball Tournament as the No. 8 seed and open against No. 9 seed San Diego on Thursday at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on various Regional Sports Networks, including ROOT Sports Northwest, as well as BYUtv. Radio coverage will begin at 5:30 p.m. on 910 ESPN Portland.
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