The Pilots got off to a slow start in the early minutes of their second and final exhibition matchup on Friday against Evergreen State. They settled in midway through the first half, however, and it was all Pilots for the rest of the way as they cruised to a 92-54 win.
The Pilots have outscored their two exhibition opponents 179-111.
Early on, senior guard Alec Wintering made it clear that he was the best player on the court. He started the game making his first six shots on his way to scoring 15 points. He also snatched up three rebounds, dished out three assists and grabbed six steals in 16 minutes of play in the first half.
“There are some things I like to work on for games,” Wintering said. “Last game I wanted to get other guys involved, today I was looking to be aggressive for myself.”
His first half aggressiveness worked for the Pilots as they closed the first half ahead by a score of 49-29.
With a big halftime lead it was time for the Pilots to readjust at the half and find things to work on in preparation for the regular season.
“I challenged them at halftime, I knew we had a couple of slippage areas,” head coach Terry Porter said. “I thought they did a good job of coming out and really getting off to a good start in the second half.”
Porter’s challenge to the team paid off as they jumped out on an 11-0 run early in the half as they built a 38 point lead, their largest of the game at the time.
But the Pilots didn’t let up in the second half as they built a lead as large as 42 and cruised to the victory.
Wintering ended the game with 21 points, a game high. He also added nine assists and six steals, leading the Pilots in both categories. For Evergreen State it was forward Taylor Drey who led the way with 13 points.
With both exhibition games in the books, it is time for the Pilots to start the regular season and there is a newfound excitement for Pilots basketball in the air that the players and coaches alike can feel.
“I think just the energy around campus and around the city [is exciting,]” Wintering said. “It’s a new energy and everybody is comfortable with each other.”
Along with the new energy the Pilots have also shown promising signs with their play through their first two exhibitions.
“I think we really do a good job of competing,” Porter said. “I think we really did a good job of executing the things that we think are important for us to win ballgames at both ends of the floor.”
Wintering ended the game with 21 points, a game high. He also added nine assists and six steals, leading the Pilots in both categories. For Evergreen State it was forward Taylor Drey who led the way with 13 points.
With exhibition games out of the way the Pilots look forward to their first regular season game on Friday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. in the Chiles Center.
