SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Portland dropped a 79-61 decision to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos Monday afternoon at The Thunderdome. James O'Donnell led the Pilots with 15 points, while the Gauchos shot 54 percent overall and made 14 of 29 three-pointers in the game.

Cameron Williams joined O'Donnell in double figures for the Pilots (7-6) with 10 points and added a team-high seven rebounds.

Aidan Mahaney paced five Gauchos (9-4) in double figures with 15 points.

How it Happened

Portland started strong by scoring the game's first five points on a pair of Cameron Williams free throws and three-pointer from Joel Foxwell. UC Santa Barbara responded by drilling three consecutive three-pointers and the teams would have four ties and five lead changes in the opening minutes. The Gauchos closed the first half on a 14-2 run to take a 36-23 lead into the break.

UCSB continued its hot shooting early in the second half and pushed the margin to as much as 27 points. Portland forced some turnovers and was able to pull within 17 on a Garrett Nuckolls transition layup with 7:38 remaining, but that would be as close as the Pilots would get.

Game Notes

• Freshman forward Timo George made his first start of the season and finished with nine points and four rebounds.
• The Pilots were just 4-for-17 from three-point range in the game.
• Portland outscored UCSB 40-30 in the paint and 16-11 in second chance points.

Up Next
Portland now prepares for West Coast Conference play which begins with a pair of home games. The Pilots will host Washington State on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 2 p.m. and then welcome Santa Clara on Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m.

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