Malcolm Porter started tonight and had a solid performance with 12 points and 2 assists, but the red-shirt Freshman's attempts weren't enough to keep the Pilot's from losing their grasp on the game in the final minutes.
The Portland Pilots fell to the Santa Clara Broncos 81-72 in a close fought battle tonight at the Chiles Center. Despite staying with the Broncos throughout the game and taking a lead early in the second half, the Pilots were unable to keep their performance together in the final minutes. Fouling seemed to be a major problem for Portland tonight, racking up 21 personal fouls compared to Santa Clara’s 12, which proved crucial at the end of the game. It’s a disappointing result to swallow for Portland fans. Had they won tonight, it would have been the first time UP has won three consecutive conference games at home in 3 years. With this loss, the Pilots drop to eighth in their ten team league. They are now 4-10 in conference play and will face BYU at home next Thursday.
Freshman JoJo Walker stares down an aggressive KJ Feagin with 12 minutes left in the second half.
Marcus Shaver Jr. glides to the hoop for an acrobatic finish. Even with the and one earned on this play, Shaver Jr.'s efforts tonight couldn't make up for the countless free throws given up to Santa Clara.
Freshman Josip Vrankic played a key role in helping the Broncos secure a win tonight. He was deadly from behind the arc, with a 3-point percentage of 57 and total of 19 points.
Emmanuel Ndumanya, Santa Clara's Senior Center, goes up for an easy dunk over a static Portland defense. Ndumanya racked up 23 points in tonight's performance, most of which were either uncontested dunks or free throws.
