PORTLAND, Ore. – The University of Portland used a 21-4 surge over the final 3:51 of the first half and the first 3:22 of the second half, to down Villanova 83-71 Friday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in the second game of the PK Invitational.
 
The Pilots (5-3 overall) connected on .609 of their second half field goal attempts and finished the day making .458 of their attempts from beyond the arc (11-of-24). Villanova (2-4 overall), meanwhile, never found a smooth offensive flow, converting 23-of-69 from the field (.333), including 9-of-41 from long range (.222) over the 40 minutes of action.
 
Caleb Daniels led Villanova with 18 points and seven rebounds before fouling out in the second half. Sophomore Jordan Longino added a career-high 14 points.
 
"I thought we came out with the right mindset," stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "Our guys played hard. Unfortunately, Portland drilled shots against us. They executed their game plan. We got behind and were able to get it down to two possessions at times, but it just wasn't enough."
 
Portland jumped out to a 5-1 lead over the first 4:26 as the Wildcats were unable to connect on their first five attempts from the field. A Daniels 3-pointer got the 'Cats back to within 7-6 before the Pilots drained 3-pointers on consecutive possession to craft a 13-6 lead with 12:12 left in the first half.
 
A 16-6 Villanova run – with Daniels providing more offensive fuel – gave the Wildcats their first lead of the day at 23-19. Nova accomplished much of that without graduate student Brandon Slater, who went to the bench after being whistled for his second foul. But a 7-0 Pilots' run pushed Portland back on top at 26-23.
 
Dixon went to the bench with his second foul with just over four minutes to play in the half and his absence was felt. Portland closed the period on an 8-4 run to take a 35-27 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
Daniels scored 12 of Villanova's 27 points over the first 20 minutes. The Wildcats were 8-of-26 from the field (.310), including 5-of-19 from beyond the 3-point arc (.260). Portland held a 19-14 edge in the rebounding column. The Pilots, meanwhile, were 13-of-25 from the field and 7-of-15 from deep.
 
The Pilots scored the first 10 points after halftime over a stretch of 3:22 to expand their lead to 45-27. A Jordan Longino 3-pointer gave Nova its first points of the second half after it had misfired on its first four attempts from the field.
 
"We're playing against really good teams," said Neptune of the third straight double-digit second half deficit the Wildcats have faced. "We've got to keep coming. The one thing I am proud of is that when we've gotten into these deficits, we've found a way to get back in the games.
 
"But we do need to stop getting down in those kinds of spots."
 
Portland's offensive firepower over the first 8:24 of the second half proved decisive. The Pilots sank 8-of-11 from the field in that span to open a 56-40 lead. Meanwhile, Nova struggled to find the range with the additional issue of Slater having picked up his fourth foul. The 'Cats were 5-of-14 over that stretch, including 2-of-10 from long range.
 
Freshman Mark Armstrong gave the Wildcats a boost in the period, helping VU shave the gap to 61-50 with seven points and a rebound. But four more points by the Pilots extended the margin to 65-50 with just under seven minutes left.
 
An 8-0 Villanova run pulled the 'Cats back to within 65-58 but the Pilots got two free throws from Alden Applewhite to half the run. A short while Daniels was whistled for his fifth foul as Portland scored to make it 69-60 with just over four minutes to go. From that point, the Wildcats kept applying pressure, but Portland took care of its free throws and completed the 12-point win.
 
"We're just young," Daniels said. "We've got a lot of guys that are trying to get what we do. Also, we're just staying together. We have great resolve, even as a young group. We just want to keep getting better every day."
 
The Wildcats will play their third game in Portland at the Chiles Center Sunday afternoon against either Michigan State or Oregon.