In the second game without senior leader and captain Alec Wintering, the University of Portland men’s basketball team had a tall task at the Chiles Center Monday night: Matching up with No. 3 Gonzaga for the second time in three nights. Despite a career-high 15 points from sophomore Rashad Jackson, the Zags cruised to an easy victory, 83-64 to remain undefeated.
The loss marks the Pilots’ sixth-straight loss and third straight by at least 15 points.
The Zags continued their dominance of opponents with the win. They remain undefeated through 20 games and will stay the nation’s lone Division I team without a loss.
Jazz Johnson, the Pilots’ leading scorer and assumed leader with no Wintering, was held to just 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting. Although his streak of double-digit points will stay alive (20), each point was hard-fought. Gonzaga’s bigger guards gave him no air space on the perimeter and he was swarmed by defenders every time he got into the paint.
“Jazz is gonna be playing more point (guard) at this point going forward than he did up to this point,” head coach Terry Porter said. “He’s gonna have to play both (guard) spots for us. We need him to be aggressive to look for his scoring opportunities.”
The Zags picked up right where they left off from Saturday’s 21-point win over the Pilots.
They started the game on a 9-0 run. Two thunderous slams by junior center Philipp Hartwich that cut the deficit to five early at 11-6 had the crowd buzzing, but it was Jackson who kept the Pilots afloat in the first half. Jackson had 13 of Portland’s 23 points in the opening 20 minutes. But Gonzaga’s balanced attacked kept the home team at bay. Seven different Bulldogs scored. A non-factor on the scoreboard, 7-foot-1 center Przemek Karnowski poked holes in the Pilot defense with a flurry of nifty passes-- leading all players at the half with four dimes.
Portland went into the break with a 15-point deficit, 38-23, shooting just 30 percent from the floor. The Bulldogs were also winning the battle on the bench, outscoring Pilots’ reserves 15 to 2.
And the Zags would pour it on in the second half. They extended their lead to as many as 31 points nine minutes after the break. The visitors stayed sharp after the half, shooting just under 55 percent from the field and committing only three turnovers.
Zach Collins led four players in double figures for the Zags with 13 points. Junior D’Marques Tyson added 15 points in 20 minutes for the Pilots.
Jackson remains confident that the team can re-discover their early season success, even without their senior leader on the court.
None of us are giving up,” Jackson said. “Alec is on us to keep going and to keeping winning games so we’re not gonna quit.”
Portland will hit the road south for a showdown with the Pepperdine Waves in Malibu, Calif. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.
