Pilots stun Toreros in WCC tourney opener

By Ben Arthur | March 3, 2017 11:16pm
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by Hannah Baade and The Beacon / The Beacon

The University of Portland men’s basketball team upset the San Diego Toreros Friday night in the first round of the West Conference tournament in Las Vegas, 60-55.

The win marks the No. 10-seeded Pilots' (last place in the field) first conference win of 2017. They lost their previous 16 WCC games, the last win coming on New Year’s Eve against Pepperdine.

Portland was led by three players in double figures in the win over seventh-seeded San Diego.

Sophomore guard Jazz Johnson had a team-high 17 points. Gabe Taylor added seven boards to go with 12 points. Xavier Hallinan played all 40 minutes en route to 11 of his own.

Brett Bailey paced San Diego with 19 points and eight boards, as their season comes to an end.

The Pilots will face No. 2-seeded Saint Mary’s at 9 p.m. tomorrow for a spot in the semifinals. The victor plays the winner of BYU and Loyola Marymount. 

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