Zags Rout Pilots in Spokane

A packed house of 6,000 fans saw off GU seniors Sean Mallon and Raivio in their final home game.

Salem-News.com SPORTS

SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga bounced back from two straight losses with a convincing 87-67 West Coast Conference win over the University of Portland Monday night at McCarthey Athletic Center.

Freshman guard Parker Emerson scored a career-high 23 points off the bench for Portland (8-20, 4-8 WCC), while senior guard Derek Raivio led four Bulldogs (19-10, 9-3) in double figures with 20 points.

A packed house of 6,000 fans saw off GU seniors Sean Mallon and Raivio in their final home game.

Gonzaga, which had its nation’s longest 50-game home winning streak snapped last week by Santa Clara, had lost two straight entering the matchup after falling to No. 8 Memphis at the Spokane Arena on Saturday.

Portland’s road woes continued as the Pilots fall to 1-13 away from the Chiles Center.

The Bulldogs (19-10, 9-3) came out firing early and sophomore transfer Micah Downs erupted with 15 first-half points off the bench, leading Gonzaga to a 47-21 halftime lead.

Downs’ previous high at Gonzaga was nine points, he finished with 19.

Portland shot a meager 27 percent from the field in the first period compared to the Bulldogs’ 58 percent shooting. The 47 points allowed was a season-high for the Pilots.

“We caught them on a bad night,” Portland head coach Eric Reveno said. “They are such a talented team with pride and understanding of how to win. We didn’t want to catch them after a couple of losses, but that’s what we got and they jumped on us from the start. There was no feeling out phase, they played at a higher level early and we didn’t ramp up quick enough.”

The Zags continued the onslaught after the break and led by as much as 33 on a steal and layup by Raivio with 13:20 remaining in the game, but Portland bounced back and starting knocking down some shots.

The Pilots pulled within 19 at 71-52 on a three-pointer by senior Darren Cooper, but Raivio answered with a trey on the next possession and GU eased to victory.

The Pilots outscored the Zags 46-40 after halftime and shot 47 percent from the floor, including 7-for-15 from the three-point line, in the second period.

Portland freshman point guard Taishi Ito joined Emerson in double figures with 15 points and four assists.

GU freshman Matt Bouldin added 18 points, while junior David Pendergraft scored a career-high 15 points off the bench.

Portland concludes the regular season with a road trip through California this coming weekend.

The Pilots will face San Diego on Saturday at 4:00 PM and then travel to San Francisco to take on the Dons Monday at 7:00 PM.

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