LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The run continues for the Portland men's basketball team after defeating the Washington State Cougars by a 74-68 margin Friday in the second round of the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship at Orleans Arena.

Garrett Nuckolls scored a career high 23 points, while Jermaine Ballisager Webb and Joel Foxwell each added double-doubles to pace the Pilots (15-18).

Portland's two wins in the tournament have come against opponents that swept the Pilots during the regular season – Pepperdine and Washington State. It marks the first time since 1996 that Portland has won two WCC Tournament games, The Pilots went on to win the 1996 tournament, the last time the team competed in March Madness.

The ninth-seeded Pilots will now face No. 5 seed San Francisco on Saturday in a third round matchup tipping off at 6 p.m. on ESPN+. The Dons defeated Portland 73-68 in San Francisco on Jan. 4, the only meeting between the two teams this season.

Ballisager Webb had his second consecutive stellar contest. After scoring a career-high 21 points Thursday night, he followed with 11 points and a career best 12 rebounds for the first double-double of his college career.

Foxwell struggled from the field but found ways to contribute by collecting a season high 10 rebounds to go with 17 points and five assists. He buried all eight of his free throw attempts late in regulation to seal the victory.

Ace Glass III led the Cougars (12-20) with 19 points.

How it Happened
For the second straight game Portland started fast and jumped out to an early lead. A dunk by Ballisager Web and two buckets from Nuckolls made it 6-0. The Pilots went up seven after a Foxwell three-pointer before the Cougars made their own run to take the lead. Washington State was able to take a 29-25 lead into the break as both teams locked in defensively.

The Pilots picked up the pace offensively in the second half and finished the period shooting 55.2 percent overall while limiting the Cougars to 40 percent. Ballisager Webb tied the game at 31-31 with a jumper early in the second stanza and the teams would exchange buckets once more and trade leads another time before the Pilots took the lead for good on a layup by Nuckolls to make it 37-36. A Foxwell triple and another basket from Nuckolls created a little separation, but Washington State would pull back within one four more times over the next few minutes.

Portland withstood every WSU rally and then used a 6-0 run to go up 62-53. Dante Censori-Hercules made a big play by blocking Glass III's three and converting a runout layup to spark the run. Four straight Foxwell free throws pushed the margin to 68-57 with 1:28 remaining and the Pilots were able to withstand a late flurry from the Cougars to hold on.

Censori-Hercules finished with 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting and led the Pilots with a plus-minus of 11. Mikah Ballew hit big shots off the bench and finished with 11 points for Portland.

The winner between USF and Portland on Saturday advances to Sunday's quarterfinal matchup with No. 4 Oregon State at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

  Get Your Tickets Now!
Secure your spot now for any upcoming Portland Pilots ticketed home event by visiting PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or by downloading the Portland Pilots App.  For group and fan experience package information, email pilotsboxoffice@up.edu.

Donate Today 
Fans interested in making a contribution to University of Portland Athletics can do so by clicking here. Your gift helps our over 300 student-athletes compete at the highest level – on and off the field - in the rapidly changing world of intercollegiate athletics. All gifts to Pilot Athletics are 100% tax deductible.

Follow Along With the Action
Get the latest news and information about your favorite University of Portland athletic programs by visiting PortlandPilots.com. You can also follow along for the most dynamic coverage and team-centric content by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Instagram.