Portland lost to San Diego 71-58 on Wednesday night at Jenny Craig Pavilion after a strong second half from the Toreros. The Pilots, who led by four points at halftime, struggled with their shooting and made only two of 19 attempts from three-point range.
San Diego improved its shooting in the second half, making 55 percent of its shots and hitting 12 out of 26 three-pointers for the game. Former Portland player Juanse Gorosito led all scorers with 19 points for the Toreros.
For Portland, freshman Dante Censori-Hercules scored a season-high 12 points and collected eight rebounds. James O’Donnell also contributed 12 points off the bench, while Joel Foxwell added 10 points along with seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
The Pilots were ahead for much of the first half despite making just one three-pointer in eleven attempts during that period. They held San Diego to a shooting percentage of 36 percent before halftime and forced eight turnovers. Portland’s largest lead came after a layup by Jermaine Ballisager Webb made it 31-25, but San Diego narrowed the gap to four by halftime.
After halftime, San Diego scored seven unanswered points and gradually built up a double-digit lead. Although Portland managed to reduce the deficit several times late in the game, they could not regain control as San Diego continued to make key shots from long distance.
“The Pilots shot 44 percent overall compared to 46 percent for San Diego,” according to team notes. “Portland outscored the Toreros 36-26 in the paint.” The Pilots were perfect from the free throw line with a record of 14-for-14 while San Diego went five-for-eight.
Additional statistics show that there were three ties and eight lead changes during the contest. San Diego’s bench outscored Portland’s reserves by a margin of 34-19.
Censori-Hercules made five of his six field goal attempts and both free throws while adding three assists and one steal. Redshirt freshman NaVaughn Long scored seven points off the bench along with two rebounds and two steals over twenty-one minutes played.
The loss ended Portland’s two-game winning streak while San Diego snapped its own three-game losing run. The teams are scheduled to meet again on February 28 in Portland.
Next week, Portland will host Pepperdine at Chiles Center on February 18 at 7 p.m.
