PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Pacific men's basketball team fell to Portland, 64-56, Thursday evening in a West Coast Conference matchup at the Chiles Center.

The Tigers (5-13, 0-4) started the game slowly, falling behind early, 7-0, as the Pilots (11-9, 2-3) connected on their first three shot attempts. Alphonso Anderson led the team in the first half, scoring 10 points to lead all scorers.
 
During the first 20 minutes of action, Anderson shot 40 percent (two-for-five) from the field but connected on five of his eight free-throw attempts. The senior from Tacoma, Wash., finished the game scoring a team-high 17 points and registered his third double-double of the season as he collected 10 rebounds.
 
Despite holding a narrow 25-24 lead at the halftime break, the Pilots kept the game close throughout the second half as the lead changed five times. The Pilots finally pulled away last in the second half as the team outscored the Tigers 40-31 in the second half. Trailing by five, 57-51, with 51 seconds left, the Pilots put the game away, scoring their last seven points from the free-throw line.
 
"Those are hard to deal with," Head Coach Leonard Perry stated regarding the Tigers struggling with fouls and putting the Pilots on the free-throw line. "You put a team in the bonus, and when you miss shots, you reach out of frustration, and you consequently put them on the free-throw line … They're a good free-throw shooting team."
 
Nick Blake came alive in the second half for the Tigers, scoring 12 of his 14 points in the final 20 minutes. Blake, averaging 10.4 points per game in his last seven games, recorded his sixth game of scoring 10 or more points this season. The freshman from Las Vegas, Nev., knocked down four of his six free-throw attempts in tonight's contest, increasing his free-throw percentage to 84.6 percent in the past two games.
 
Pierre Crockrell II and Jeremiah Bailey also scored in double figures for the Tigers, making this the sixth game this season where four Tigers scored at least 10 points. Crockrell II, coming off his career-high 24 points against San Diego, finished the game with 11 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Bailey, scoring in double figures for the first time since scoring 13 against UC Davis on December 19, scored 10 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
 
"I thought defensively he [Bailey] was into it," Perry said after the game regarding Bailey's productivity. "He was more engaged, and I thought he rebounded the ball well … I thought his effort was great."
 
Pacific returns to action Saturday, Jan. 29, as the Tigers take on BYU at the Alex G. Spanos Center. Tip-off against the Cougars will be at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU.