PORTLAND, Ore. – A back-and-forth thriller didn't end in favor of the Pacific men's basketball program as it succumbed to a late three-point barrage in overtime to fall 90-89 at Portland on Thursday at the Chiles Center.
 
Pacific (11-7, 2-3 WCC) led 86-81 in overtime when the Pilots (8-10, 1-4 WCC) hit a three-pointer on each of their last three possessions to finish on top. The final blow was a three from the left corner by Matus Hronsky with 3.0 seconds which was the deciding bucket for Portland.
 
It came after Pacific battled back from an 11-point halftime to take the lead with 2:12 remaining in regulation on a jumper by senior Isaac Jack. The Tigers were held scoreless though in the final 1:47 of the second half and had to make a defensive stand in the closing seconds to send the game to overtime.
 
On the night, the Tigers were attempting to withstand a red-hot shooting performance by Portland from long range, as the Pilots ended the game 13-of-23 (.565) from distance. It included an 8-of-12 mark in the first half which gave Portland its double-figure first half lead.
 
A career night came from Justin Rochelin with 20 points and eight rebounds. He was one of two Tigers to play over 40 minutes as senior Elias Ralph played 42 minutes and recorded 16 points and seven rebounds.
 
Pacific also garnered a big night from senior Isaac Jack who tallied 18 points and six rebounds. Senior TJ Wainwright finished in double-figures with 11 points and was 5-of-5 from the free throw line.
 
Senior Jaden Clayton distributed a career-high 12 assists to go along with nine points.
 
The Tigers led 15-13 at the 11:48 mark of the first half after a three by junior Kublickas. Though, it was their final lead of the half as the Pilots answered with back-to-back threes to go up 19-15 midway through.
 
Pacific trailed by eight when Wainwright nailed three free throws to cut it to 37-32 with 3:44 to go. Freshman Jaion Pitt converted a lay-up to keep it at 39-34, but Portland ended the half on a 6-0 spurt to take a 45-34 edge into the break.
 
The Tigers were still down by double-digits, 65-55, with 6:33 left before making their move. A bucket by Jack trimmed it to 67-62 with 4:15 remaining, and a lay-in by Ralph cut it to 69-66 at the 3:18 mark.
 
Back-to-back jumpers by Jack put the Tigers on top 70-69 with 1:47 to go. A lay-in by Rochelin put Pacific up 72-70 with 1:47 left, but the Tigers were held scoreless the rest of regulation. Portland made a pair of free throws, got a stop defensively and held for the last shot when Pacific made a defensive stand to send the game to overtime.
 
In overtime, a three by Wainwright and a pair of free throws by Clayton gave the Tigers an 86-81 edge with 22 seconds left. Portland responded with a series of three-pointers, and despite Pacific going 3-of-4 from the free throw line in the last 15 seconds, it wasn't enough as the Pilots garnered Hronsky's three to prevail.
 
Portland saw Hronsky and Joel Foxwell score 27 points apiece. The duo combined to go 11-of-15 from three-point range.
 
Pacific will return home Saturday for a 4 p.m. game against San Diego at the Alex G. Spanos Center. The game can be seen on ESPN+ with Bayrouty and Kat Tudor on the call and can be heard on Fox SPORTS AM 1280 with Dennis Ackerman as the voice.
 
NOTES
- The Tigers are now 29-20 all-time against Portland. Though, the Pilots won their home meeting in overtime for the second year in a row.
 
- Pacific outrebounded Portland 39-34 and has outrebounded all five of its conference opponents. The Tigers entered the day ranked 19th in the nation in rebounding margin.
 
- The Tigers began the day ranked 39th in the country in free throw percentage with a .766 mark and went 22-of-26 (.846) from the line.
 
- Rochelin surpassed his previous career-high of 15 points set last season against La Verne as a member of UC San Diego. His eight rebounds matched a career-high for the fifth time in his career and third game in a row. His 41:35 minutes were a career-high.
 
- Jack posted his second-highest scoring total of the season with 18 points, only behind a 20-point effort against Simpson. He was 8-of-12 from the floor for his 14th career double-figure scoring game and seventh this year.
 
- Ralph played at least 42 minutes at Portland for the second straight year. It was his fourth game this year of 40 (or more) minutes. Ralph turned in his 104th career double-digit scoring game, 44th at Pacific and 16th this year.
 
- Wainwright notched his 49th career double-figure scoring effort, 13th this season and fifth in the last six games. He's up to a team-leading .927 mark this season from the free throw line. Wainwright has hit a three in 17 of 18 games this year.
 
- Clayton entered the game ranked 41st in the nation in assists with 5.5 per outing and dished out 12. It went along with nine points.
 
- Senior Jaden Clayton ranks 41st in the country in assists with 5.5 per outing and dished out 12. It surpassed his previous career-high of 11 assists, set twice.
 
- Pacific has already surpassed its overall win total by two games from last season when it finished 9-24. It's the second year in a row under head coach Dave Smart that the Tigers have increased their win total as he inherited a 6-26 (0-16 WCC) squad from 2023-24.
 
Tigers Tickets
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