CONWAY, S.C. – Portland dropped an 85-73 decision to the Ohio Bobcats Friday at the Myrtle Beach Invitational at the HTC Center. Vukasin Masic led three Pilots in double figures with 17 points.

Austin Rapp added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Pilots (2-4), while Max Mackinnon added 10 points and seven boards.

AJ Clayton set the tournament record with 34 points for the Bobcats (2-4) and he added 12 rebounds.

Ohio was hot early and knocked down 5 of 7 three-pointers and finished the first half 7-for-17 from downtown, while the Pilots were 0-for-7 from beyond the arc in the period and trailed 46-30 at the half.

The Pilots cut the deficit to single digits after a pair of Masic free throws and layup made it 48-39 with 17:56 remaining. Another Masic three made it 57-49 with 11:18 to go, but the Pilots missed two free throws and came up empty on their next two offensive possessions. Ohio responded by going on a 13-2 run and would lead by as much as 22 late in regulation.

Portland made one more spurt to cut it to 15 and got many defensive stops, but came up empty on four straight possessions before Ohio converted at the end of the shot clock for a 77-60 lead with 3:44 remaining.

The Pilots went on another 11-0 run to make it a 79-71 deficit with 1:20 to go, but the comeback ran out of time and Ohio held on for the 85-73 victory.

The Pilots finished the game shooting 47 percent overall compared to 45 percent for Ohio. The Bobcats gained a 43-36 rebounding margin and made 11-of-34 three-pointers, while Portland was just 4-for-14 from beyond the arc.

Up Next

After taking Saturday off, the Pilots will conclude the Myrtle Beach Invitational Sunday at 7:30 a.m. (PT) against the losing team from the Princeton and Texas State contest.

 
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