A mid-major darling early in the 2022-23 season, the Portland Pilots were looking to make a little noise to end the season. Portland had a 13-point halftime lead over 5-seed Brigham Young in its second-round West Coast Conference tournament game Friday night in Las Vegas. The eighth-seeded Pilots were 20 minutes from winning back-to-back conference tournament games for the first time since 1996. Then the second half started at Orleans Arena, and it was quickly over. Brigham Young blasted out of the locker room, tore off on a 20-4 run during the first five minutes and cruised to an 82-71 win over Portland. Under second-year coach Shantay Legans, Portland came into this season wanting to build off its first winning record in seven years. It had promise, too, after the Pilots gained national respect during the Phil Knight Invitational during Thanksgiving weekend. After beating Villanova and nearly knocking off Michigan State, Spartans coach Tom Izzo piled on the compliments, saying the Pilots “are fun to watch. ” Season 2 of the Legans era didn’t quite work out. UP was unable to play two guards who figured heavily in its plans in Chris Austin and Vukasin Masic. Injuries to others occasionally hampered the Pilots’ chances. The result was a 14-19 season that ended Friday with the loss to Brigham Young. Legans felt the program improved in terms in fan support, and administrative resources this season. “You get a lot of support, and I think our players see that. I think that’s a big deal,” Legans said. “The win-loss record this year is disappointing because we know we’re a better team, injuries or not. We’ve got to do a better job. I know next year we’ll be really excited. I wish it was starting on Monday. ” For 20 minutes Friday night, next year seemed like a distant thought with Portland racing to a 43-30 halftime lead. The Pilots opened the game on a 14-4 run, then late in the half ran off 10 consecutive points to establish a comfortable halftime cushion. Everything it seemed went Portland’s way in the first half. From the early barrage of threes, to forcing BYU to shoot a poor percentage (32%) and commit nine turnovers. “In the first half, we felt like we lost every 50-50 ball,” Brigham Young coach Mark Pope said. It didn’t take long for the Cougars to seize the momentum. BYU hit nine of its first 12 shots to start the second half, including three three-pointers and two three-point plays, to take a 51-47 lead. Brigham Young didn’t look back. The Cougars led throughout the half as Portland couldn’t keep BYU off the boards. Brigham Young had a massive 44-21 rebounding advantage, including 19 offensive boards. “I thought we did a solid job tonight of defending, but when you give up that many offensive rebounds … that was one of their keys,” Legans said. Portland didn’t go down without a fight, because Tyler Robertson wouldn’t allow it. The junior forward scored 31 points, hitting 10 of 19 shots and 10 of 12 from the free throw line. Robertson, who played all but 90 seconds of the game, was often the Pilots’ offense, backing down numerous Cougar defenders to position himself for a layup. “I told him when he was tired, he’s not coming out,” Legans said. “He played a phenomenal game. The second half we were struggling to score, so we kind of scrapped what we did and started throwing it to him inside. ” Portland trailed by as many as 10 points when the Pilots made it interesting. A Jack Perry three-pointer pulled UP to within 70-67 with 4:08 remaining. The margin was three again after Robertson hit two free throws a minute later. BYU finished the job with, what else, offensive rebounds. Richie Saunders and Fousseyni Traore had offensive putbacks to take to 78-69 lead with 1:06 left, effectively finishing the Pilots’ chances. After years struggling as a WCC doormat, Portland’s future is optimistic, as the bulk of its roster returns next season, including Austin and Masic. A few players, such as Robertson and Moses Wood, will ponder during the next month whether to return next season or turn professional and play overseas. “It’s an exciting program,” Robertson said. “It’s been a fun change and fun team to turn around. I don’t know what the future holds for every single person on this team, but I’m excited to see where this program can go in the future. ” --Nick Daschel | |.