Saint Mary's beats Portland 89-74, stays in 1st place in WCC

Jan 24, 2016, 01:26 am

MORAGA, Calif. -- Dane Pineau had 20 points and 13 rebounds and Saint Mary's held its one-game lead for first place in the West Coast Conference with an 89-74 win over Portland on Saturday night.

The Gaels (17-2, 8-1) made 12 of their first 13 shots from the field in the second half to steadily build on a seven-point halftime lead.

Pineau sank his first 10 field-goal attempts before missing his final shot. Emmett Naar added 20 points and eight assists, Evan Fitzner scored 13 and Joe Rahon 11. The Gaels finished with 62.5 percent shooting from the field.

The Pilots (9-13, 3-6) closed within 48-42 early in the second half after trailing 33-16 late in the first. Saint Mary's led by as many as 20 late in the second half.

D'Marques Tyson led Portland with 16 points. Bryce Pressley added 15, Alec Wintering scored 13 and Jazz Johnson 12.