Aggie men suffer first basketball loss of the season in back and forth battle at Portland
Three-point bomb allows Portland to pull away in the final minute for a 67-63 victory
PORTLAND, Oregon - UC Davis’ early-season win streak was halted at two games here Sunday at the Chiles Center as the Portland Pilots pulled away in the final minute to take a tense 67-63 win in non-conference men’s basketball action.
The Aggies had used strong long-range shooting to open the season with home wins over Menlo and North Dakota State, but that shooting touch went ice cold against the Pilots out of the West Coast Conference.
Portland is now 3-0 after wins over Willamette and Arkansas Pine Bluff.
The Aggies were 14 of 30 on treys against North Dakota State, but never could find the range Sunday, hitting a dismal 7 of 33 long-range attempts (21.2 percent).
It was a game of runs in the early going, with Portland taking a 5-0 lead, only to have UCD respond with a 19-6 run for their biggest lead of the night at 19-11.
The Pilots, however, came roaring back with a 12-0 run of their own and the teams traded baskets several times before UCD took a 32-31 lead into the halftime break.
The score was tied five times in the second half, the final time at 61-61 before UP’s Mikah Ballew nailed a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left and the Aggies were unable to catch up down the stretch.
Connor Sevilla led the Aggies in scoring for the second game in a row with 13 points, while Omer Suljanovic had 12 points and six boards and Niko Rocak had 11 points and six boards.
UCD returns to action at home Friday night in the annual Causeway battle with Sacramento State.
Game time in the University Credit Union Center is 6 p.m.
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