Jan. 27, 2007
Final Stats
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -Brandon Johnson scored 19 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and Nir Cohen added some clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch as San Diego defeated Portland 74-70 in a West Coast Conference game Saturday.
After scoring just five points in the first half, Johnson came alive early in the second half when he scored 11 unanswered points, including three consecutive 3-pointers, to give San Diego a 54-45 lead.
The Pilots answered with a 12-3 run, including four by Jamie Jones, that tied the score at 57 midway through the half. Jones finished as Portland's leading scorer with 15 points.
After leading by as many eight points in the first half, Portland found itself back in front after a 6-0 spurt made it 63-60 with 6:54 left to play. It turned out to be the last lead for the Pilots (6-16, 2-4 WCC).
The Toreros (13-8, 3-3 WCC) regained the lead for good with a 9-2 run, including three free throws by Cohen, which made it 69-65 with 2:51 left.
Portland made it interesting when Ben Sullivan scored on a drive and fouled. He missed the free throw but Jones got the rebound and scored to trim San Diego's lead to 71-70 with 1:07 left.
Cohen finished with 15 points, had a game-high 11 rebounds and was 8-of-11 from the foul line, including the final three points for San Diego. Johnson finished with four 3-pointers and added seven assists to his game-high point total.
