STOCKTON, Calif. – Vukasin Masic scored a game-high 23 points and Bol Dengdit recorded his first career double-double to lead Portland to a 65-60 win over Pacific Thursday in West Coast Conference basketball action at the Spanos Center. The Pilots completed the regular season sweep of the Tigers with the victory.

Masic was an efficient 9-for-13 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds, while Dengdit finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Juanse Gorosito added 19 points and six assists.

The Portland offense was strong from deep, making 11 threes on 32 attempts. Gorosito hit four treys for the Pilots in the contest.

Portland's defense held Pacific to only 37.1 percent shooting from the field, including 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. The Tigers did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with five offensive rebounds and managed eight second chance points while Portland cleared 28 defensive rebounds.

How It Happened
After falling behind 10-6, Portland went on an 8-0 run with 14:38 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Gorosito, to take a 14-10 lead. The Pilots extended the lead to eight behind a quick 12 points from Masic and carried a 30-24 edge into the break.

Pacific opened the second half with a 15-3 run to go ahead 39-33 on a Makai Richards dunk. The Pilots tied it at 39 on a Masic three-pointer and the game was back-and-forth throughout the rest of regulation as the margin never was greater than five points.

Portland went on a 6-0 run, finished off by Gorosito's three, to seize a 50-48 lead with 6:38 to go in the contest. The teams would trade leads three times in before Masic converted a clutch layup in traffic to give the Pilots a 57-55 lead and then made a pair of free throws for a four-point lead and 51 seconds remaining.

Dengdit hit two free throws to again make it a two-possession game with 18 seconds on the clock and Gorosito iced the game with four more from the stripe in the closing seconds.

Game Notes
» Bol Dengdit notched his first career double-double for the Pilots with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
» Portland found success from three point land, knocking down 11 treys in the game.
» The Pilots held the Tigers to only 37.1 percent shooting from the field.
» Vukasin Masic, Juanse Gorosito, and Bol Dengdit combined to account for 80 percent of the Pilots points.
» The Pilots were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying five blocks as a team.
» Vukasin Masic led the Pilots with a game-high 23 points.
» Portland got a game-high 11 rebounds from Bol Dengdit.
» The Pilots were without leading rebounder and third leading scorer Tyler Harris due to injury.

Up Next

The Pilots continue WCC play at home on Saturday against the Pepperdine Waves with a 5 p.m. tip-off at the Chiles Center.
 

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