San Diego Conquers Pilots
By Josh Horton
The San Diego Toreros notched a much needed victory against Portland, knocking off the Pilots by a score of 61-59.
The Toreros took the lead late in the second half and while up 3, the Toreros fouled the Pilots. Bobby Sharp nailed the first, but deliberately missed the second free throw. The tactic from Portland was unsuccessful as the Toreros corralled the rebound and sealed the victory.
Johnny Dee and Duda Sanadze – who was questionable for tonight’s game – led the Toreros with 15 points apiece. Front court mates Jito Kok and Dennis Kramer grabbed 6 rebounds to lead the Toreros. Christopher Anderson’s 5 assists were a team-high for the Toreros.
Thomas van der Mars and Ryan Nicholas had a stellar day despite the loss, combining for 27 points and 15 rebounds as a tandem. Bobby Sharp and Bryce Pressley chipped in 16 points and 11 points respectively for the Pilots as well. Pressley’s five assists led the Pilots in the contest.
Keys to the Game Checklist
San Diego
(Check) Please help Johnny Buckets:
Thankfully for the Toreros, Duda Sanadze came off the bench tonight and chipped in 15 points. It was the difference between a win and a loss for the Toreros, who are vying for a top 6 seed and a first round bye in the WCC tournament.
Portland
(X) Go Deep in the Rotation:
10 Pilots logged minutes today for the Pilots, with three of them recording 10-plus minutes. Despite that fact, the Pilots bench only scored 2 points, which eventually doomed the Pilots in tonight’s contest.
Moving Forward
Tonight’s result created a seismic shift in the WCC standings, with Pepperdine moving back to fifth, Portland dropping to sixth, San Diego and Santa Clara moving up to seventh and eighth and Pacific falling all the way to ninth.
Portland is now in danger of losing its first round bye in the WCC tournament, and an end of the season slump would allow a team like San Diego to move up in the standings and take it from the Pilots.
While it was nice that Alec Wintering was able to play, the Pilots displayed that they need their leading scorer Kevin Bailey back after only putting up 59 points today.