PORTLAND, Ore. -- Thomas van der Mars scored 18 points and had 13 rebounds to lead Portland to a 72-64 win over Pacific in a conference matchup Thursday night.

The Pilots (9-6, 1-2 West Coast Conference) used a 9-1 spurt late in the first half to take a 35-28 advantage into the break, then had to hold off a second half challenge by going 7 for 9 from the foul line in the final minutes to secure the win.

Ryan Nicholas contributed 17 points and 12 rebounds, Kevin Bailey added 15 points, and Bryce Pressley had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Portland.

Pacific (9-4, 0-2 WCC) pulled to within two points late in the second half on a pair of Trevin Harris free throws that made it 53-51 with 6:28 to go, but couldn't keep up with Portland down the stretch.

Sama Taku led the Tigers with 19 points.