The Portland men’s basketball team continued its postseason run with a 74-68 victory over Washington State in the second round of the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Basketball Championship at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. This marks the first time since 1996 that Portland has secured two wins in the WCC Tournament.
Garrett Nuckolls led the Pilots with a career-high 23 points. Jermaine Ballisager Webb and Joel Foxwell both recorded double-doubles, contributing significantly to the team’s success. Ballisager Webb followed up his previous performance by adding 11 points and a career-best 12 rebounds, marking his first collegiate double-double. Foxwell, despite struggling from the field, collected a season-high 10 rebounds along with 17 points and five assists. He also made all eight of his free throw attempts late in regulation to help secure the win.
Portland’s two tournament victories have come against teams that defeated them during the regular season—Pepperdine and Washington State. The team will next face No. 5 seed San Francisco on Saturday at 6 p.m., broadcast on ESPN+. In their only meeting this season, San Francisco defeated Portland 73-68.
Ace Glass III was Washington State’s top scorer with 19 points.
The game saw Portland start strong, quickly building an early lead before Washington State rallied to take a four-point advantage into halftime. In the second half, Portland improved its shooting to over 55 percent while holding Washington State to 40 percent from the field. Key plays included a layup by Nuckolls that gave Portland a lead they would not relinquish and defensive efforts from Dante Censori-Hercules, who finished with 10 points on perfect shooting and sparked a crucial run with a block and transition basket.
Mikah Ballew contributed off the bench for Portland with 11 points.
The winner of Saturday’s matchup between San Francisco and Portland will advance to face No. 4 Oregon State in Sunday’s quarterfinals at 5:30 p.m., which will be aired on ESPN2.
Fans can purchase tickets for upcoming home events through the official website or app of Portland Pilots athletics. Supporters interested in donating to University of Portland Athletics can do so online, helping student-athletes compete both academically and athletically.
For updates on University of Portland athletic programs, fans are encouraged to visit PortlandPilots.com or follow their social media channels.
