One team had great ball movement, hustled for charges, and shot well from beyond the arc, with some timely three-pointers fueling its run — and the other team was Villanova.
The hometown team, the Portland Pilots, held off the Wildcats in Friday’s Phil Knight Invitational consolation bracket game, defeating ‘Nova in a game they led a majority of the way, 83-71.
“I thought we came out with the right mindset, thought our guys played hard, unfortunately, Portland came out and drilled shots and really executed their game plan,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said. “When we got behind, I think we got it down to two possessions, and unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.