PORTLAND, Ore. | Four players reached double figures in scoring as the Grambling State University men's basketball team headed out west and picked up a 70-58 victory over Portland on Saturday night at the Chiles Center.
 
Grambling State (5-6), which snapped a two-game losing streak with the victory, trailed at the break, 35-34, but outscored Portland, 36-23, in the second half and held the Pilots to 1-for-15 from behind the 3-point line in the second half in picking up the win.
 
Ivy Smith, Jr. paced four Grambling State players in double figures with 13 points, including 6-of-7 from the foul line. He added nine assists and three boards. Dallas Polk-Hilliard scored all 12 of his points in the first half and registered seven boards, three steals and two assists. Lasani Johnson went 3-for-4 behind the 3-point line and finished with 11 points, four rebounds and a pair of steals, while Zavier Peart recorded 10 points, nine rebounds, one block and one assist.
 
Marcus Shaver, Jr. led the Pilots with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and one block. Jojo Walker tallied 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Hugh Hogland finished with 11 points, four rebounds, one block and one steal.
 
Turning Point
Portland opened the game on a 9-4 run, capped by a Marcus Shaver, Jr. layup with 15:47 remaining, but the Tigers clawed back with an 11-2 run as Dallas Polk-Hilliard drained a 3-pointer to give Grambling State a 15-11 lead with 12:33 left in the first half.
 
The Pilots rallied and took a 21-20 advantage after a pair of Jojo Walker free throws with 8:05 left and Portland stretched its lead to 25-21 after two free throws by Jacob Tryon. However, Grambling State answered and grabbed a 28-26 lead after a Lasani Johnson putback jumper with 4:29 remaining.
 
Portland grabbed a 35-33 lead after a free throw by Walker with 10 seconds left and Polk-Hilliard sank 1-of-2 from the charity stripe with 1 tick remaining as the Tigers trailed, 35-34, at the half.
 
The Pilots led 39-36 after a Hugh Hogland jumper with 18:08 remaining, but the Tigers used a 12-2 run over the next eight minutes to grab a 48-41 advantage after a Johnson 3-pointer with 10:42 left.
 
Grambling State extended the lead after a Zavier Peart dunk to 60-50 with 3:42 remaining. But back came Portland as the Pilots scored six straight points to cut the deficit to 60-56 after a layup by Josh McSwiggan with just over two minutes left.
 
A 3-pointer on the offensive end by Gaston pushed the margin to seven points, 63-56, with 1:15 remaining and the Piolts could not recover down the stretch.
 
Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State shot 37.9 percent (22-of-58) from the floor and 77.3 percent (17-of-22) from the charity stripe
> Portland was 18-of-51 (35.3 percent) from the field and 18-of-27 (66.7 percent) from the foul line
> The Tigers registered 44 rebounds, with 34 coming on the defensive end
> The Pilots pulled down 34 rebounds, including 29 on the defensive glass
> Grambling State finished with 24 bench points, 20 points in the paint, 15 points off 14 Pilot turnovers, 10 second-chance points and nine fastbreak points
> Portland recorded 24 points in the paint, 16 bench points, 11 points off 14 Tiger turnovers, seven fastbreak points and six second-chance points
 
Up Next
Grambling State concluded its three-game road swing on Saturday and will return home on Wednesday to face Southeastern Louisiana. Tip-off against the Lions is set for 6 p.m. at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center. Fans will have an opportunity to get their picture taken with the NCAA Division I Men's National Championship Trophy and admission to the game is free and open to the public.
 
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