Pioneers Fall to Pilots, 72-62

Rob Lewis had a season-high 16 points, but Portland prevailed

PORTLAND, Ore. – University of Denver men’s basketball junior forward Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) led all players with a season-high 16 points, but the Pioneers fell to the Portland Pilots 72-62 at Chiles Center on Saturday afternoon.

“We did a good job in the first half and took care of the ball,” head coach Joe Scott said. “In the second half, we didn’t take care of the ball. If you want to be successful on the road against a good team, and Portland is good, you can’t give them additional opportunities.”

The Pioneers led by two points with 15:59 left in the game, but the Pilots fought back with a 13-2 run over a five-minute stretch in the second half.

Sophomore Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Calif.) added 13 points and a team-high five rebounds, while freshman guard Chase Hallam (Mesquite, Texas) had 12 points and four steals.

Portland built a nine-point lead less than five minutes into the game, but Denver came back strong, culminating in a three-point play by Rob Lewis with one second to go before halftime, and the Pioneers led 35-33 at the break.

Both teams shot well in the first half, as Denver was 14-for-26 (53.8 percent) from the field, and Portland was 14-of-27 (51.9 percent).

Portland was led by Nik Raivio’s 12 points, while Kramer Knutson and T.J. Campbell had 11 each. Luke Sikma pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Pioneers return home to face Florida International in their first Sun Belt Conference game of the season at Magness Arena on Thurs., Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. MT.