PORTLAND, OR – Shooting 61% from the field and 59% from long range, Portland (10-11, 2-4 WCC) defeated the University of San Diego men's basketball team (9-12, 2-5 WCC) on Thursday, 88-83.
 
In his 126^th collegiate game, fifth year guard Marcellus Earlington scored a career high 32 points on 11-of-18 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. He added five rebounds and three assists.
 
Junior guard Sigu Sisoho Jawara added 20 points and four assists in the loss, making 7-of-10 field goals and 4-of-5 three-pointers.
 
Graduate guard Eric Williams Jr. registered his ninth double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
 
USD drops to 9-12 (2-5 WCC) on the season, and will travel to Pepperdine next Thursday.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Portland took an early 6-0 lead with back-to-back triples, but USD answered with a 17-4 run. Earlington notched two and-ones, while Williams Jr., Townsend, and Jawara added triples.
• Tyler Robertson scored seven straight points for Portland in a 9-0 run, regaining the lead at 19-17.
• Midway through the first half, USD used a 7-0 run to take a 33-27 advantage. Townsend notched five, including a three-pointer.
• Earlington scored nine straight points for San Diego from 4:47 to 2:50.
• Portland made its last six field goal attempts of the first half, and took a slight 46-44 lead into the locker room. The Pilots shot 62% (16-of-26) in the frame, but USD turned the ball over just twice.
• Portland extended its lead to 10 three times in the second half, with the most recent coming with 10:59 left.
• USD rattled off an 11-0 run, including two triples from Jawara and five points from Earlington to regain the lead at 73-70.
• There were three ties over the next 4:40 of action, including two Jawara free throws to make it 81-81 with 3:10 left.
• The Pilots scored the next five points, followed by two late free throws with 14 seconds remaining to seal the win.  

 
TORERO TIDBITS

• Earlington bested his previous career high of 25, set twice (last against UC Riverside earlier this season). He leads the team with 16 games in double figures. He now leads the team with 15.9 points per game. It's just the 17^th time in program history a player has scored at least 32 points in a game.
• Jawara scored 20+ points for the fourth time this year. He leads the team with 32 made triples.
• Williams Jr. ranks top-15 nationally in double-doubles.
• Each team grabbed 29 rebounds.
• There were eight lead changes and eight ties.
• Steven Jamerson II scored his first career points.

 
UP NEXT
San Diego will play its third straight road game at Pepperdine on Thursday. The Waves hold a 66-50 lead in the all-time series, but USD secured a 92-89 win on January 12.