Malika Andrews |
The Pilots defeated Loyola Marymount 66-63 on Jan. 14, extending their winning streak to four games.
The key to the Pilots’ success is defense. This was the fourth consecutive game they have held their opponent to under 40 percent shooting.
"Our defense is key to all our victories," junior guard Bryce Pressley said. "We are holding teams from scoring and getting offensive rebounds, which leads us to getting out in transition and easy buckets on offense."
The Pilots outrebounded the Lions 36-34.
Senior Kevin Bailey led the Pilots with 14 points. Senior Volodymyr Gerun and Pressley followed with 13 points each.
In Thursday’s 69-52 win over Pepperdine, all five starters reached double figures.
Sophomore Alec Wintering had 15 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals. Bailey added 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots.
Senior Thomas van der Mars contributed 12 points, while Gerun and Pressley added 10 each.
These wins moved the Pilots into fifth place in the WCC with four games remaining in the regular season. Portland trails Pepperdine by half a game for fourth place in the WCC.
Wintering is excited about the late run the Pilots are making this season.
“It feels good,” Wintering said. “We’re playing with a lot of confidence right now, which is important heading into the last stretch of games.”
The Pilots look to continue their winning streak as they visit second place Saint Mary’s at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Pacific at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Malika Andrews is the Sports Editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at andrewsm17@up.edu or on Twitter @malika_andrews
