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USF Men's Basketball Falls to Portland 70-59
Feb. 25, 2010
(Portland, OR) - USF battled but could not overcome another long distance seminar provided by the University of Portland and dropped a 70-59 West Coast Conference decision Thursday night at the Chiles Center. The Dons (12-16, 7-6 WCC) shot well, but could not overcome 12 3-pointers by the Pilots (18-9, 9-4 WCC), who won their fourth straight against San Francicso.
With Loyola Marymount's 72-69 win at San Diego, USF is now tied with the Lions with identical 7-6 records. Both squads are battling for fourth place in the WCC standings and the first round bye in the WCC Tournament beginning next week at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The Lions close out the regular season at Saint Mary's, while the Dons take on league-leading No. 17 Gonzaga. If USF and LMU finish with identical records, USF would claim the No. 4 seed by virtue of owning the season sweep against the Lions.
Sophomore guard Rashad Green scored a team-high 16 points - including three 3-pointers, while sophomore guard Kwame Vaughn added 11 for San Francisco. Senior forward Dior Lowhorn scored seven points - all in the first half - to go along with a team-high seven rebounds. USF lost the battle of the boards 30-26, 10-6 on the offensive glass.
San Francisco shot at a respectable .467 (21-45) clip, including .474 (9-19) from deep, while Portland shot at a .460 (23-50) pace, .462 (12-26) from beyond the arc. The Dons matched a season-worst with 19 turnovers and the Pilots capitalized, scoring a whopping 27 points on the miscues.
USF led 49-47 with 9:06 remaining in regulation on a Vaughn lay-up, but Portland went ahead on a 3-pointer by junior nemesis Jared Stohl 15 seconds later and the Pilots never trailed again. Stohl, who has connected on 25 3-pointers in his last four games against the Dons, finished with a game-high 22 and went 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Nemanja Mitrovic added a career-high 20 with five 3-pointers.
USF led by as many as 10 in the first period and held a nine point, 28-19 edge on a driving lay-up by senior guard Dontae Bryant with 8:10 remaining in the period. The Dons then went more than seven minutes without a point as the Pilots rolled to a 15-0 run to take a 34-28 lead. USF connected on back-to-back 3-pointers from Green and sophomore forward Angelo Caloiaro to close the gap to two points at the intermission 36-34.
San Francisco connected on .522 (12-23) from the field, including 7-of-12 from long distance. The Pilots hit at a .444 (12-27) clip and scored a whopping 22 points off 11 USF first half turnovers. USF out-rebounded Portland 16-10. Lowhorn and Vaughn led the way with seven points in the opening frame, while Green added six.
San Francisco concludes the 2009-10 regular season when it travels to No. 17 Gonzaga Saturday, February 27. Game time against the Bulldogs is set for 5:00 PM in the McCarthey Athletic Center in a game broadcast live on the flagship station of Dons Basketball, Green 960.
