PORTLAND, Ore. – Vukasin Masic scored a game-high 24 points for Portland, but an experienced UC Santa Barbara team drilled 16 three-pointers en route to a 94-53 win over a young Pilot squad Saturday at the Chiles Center.
Portland led early after a runner in the lane by Max Mackinnon made it 10-6, but the Gauchos (2-0) responded with a 22-5 run sparked by five three-pointers from four different players. The margin grew to 22 late in the period before setting at 47-28 at the half.
Mackinnon made a jumper out of the break to bring the deficit down to 17 points, but UCSB seized control for good with four more three-pointers during a three-minute stretch to go up by 27 and the margin grew down the stretch.
Five of the nine Pilots that played eight or more minutes were freshmen, while Mackinnon and Mezziah Oakman are junior transfers making their first appearance with Portland against a Division I opponent.
Masic was the lone Pilot in double figures, while freshman Austin Rapp added eight points and seven rebounds.
Jason Fontenet II scored a team-high 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting to lead the Gauchos, while Kenny Pohto finished with 16 points on 6-of-7 from the field.
UCSB shot 16-of-37 from three-point range compared to just 5-of-31 for the Pilots. The Gauchos also had a 19-9 edge in points off of turnovers and 46-7 margin in bench points.
Up Next
The Pilots hit the road to take on the Oregon Ducks on Tuesday at 8 p.m. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network and radio coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. on 910 ESPN Portland.
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