The Pilots beat the Lewis and Clark Pioneers in dominant fashion on Saturday night on the hardwood in The Chiles Center, defeating the Pioneers 103-61, with an especially strong showing in the second half.
The first half came to a close with the Pilots leading the way 37-28. The lead was mainly built by the height advantage and outstanding defense. The zone of the Pilots kept the Pioneers at bay as they routinely trapped players and forced outside shots. The first nine minutes especially showed the strength of Pilot defense as they held the Pioneers to nine percent field goal percentage. The Pilots also forced 11 turnovers, with many of those leading to points on the other side of the floor.
The Pilots struggled from the field in the first, as they only shot 43 percent as a team. The Pilots also left points on the board by only hitting seven of their 16 free throws. Freshman JoJo Walker contributed in building the first half lead, finding open shooters and leading the team in points along with Franklin Porter with eight in the first half. Philipp Hartwich also was key early leading the team with nine rebounds in the first half and helped the Pilots repeatedly attack the rim.
Walker, a freshman guard for the Pilots, improved in his second college game, which is a good sign for The Pilots.
“They let me play my game, so I was glad they did. I felt more comfortable," noted Walker after a solid performance.
The second half was more fluid for the Pilots as they saw their shooting numbers go up and they made some important adjustments on defense. The team ended up forcing 19 turnovers that helped the Pilots pull away in the second half.
Malcolm Porter took over about halfway through the half and showed what he can bring to the table off the bench in this upcoming year. Porter hustled and attacked the basket while putting pressure on smaller defenders. The Pilots seemed to find their groove in the second half.
“Point of emphasis moving forward is to build off the second half,” said head coach Terry Porter after the win. “We did a much better job of locking in and taking the challenge and we had guys step up when needed to.”
The numbers would prove Porter right as the Pilots cut down on turnovers and improved their shooting percentage from the field.
The Pilots will look to take this momentum into next week as they open up the preseason against across town rivals Portland State on Nov. 11 in the Chiles Center, a game where the Pilots can’t afford to make the same mistakes as they did in the first half tonight.
