Portland, OR – St. Mary’s pulled away from Portland in the last five minutes for a 73-61 victory. A key turning point in the game came when Portland fouled on a drive putting St. Mary’s in the bonus for the remainder of the second half with over twelve minutes remaining. Portland was down only six points with five minutes left when they were called for two technical fouls. The Gaels converted on all four free throws to push the lead up to 63-53.
For Portland 6-4 redshirt freshman point guard Malcolm Porter is talented and has potential. He’s a competitor who doesn’t shy away from physical contact, competes well on defense, and drives the ball to the basket extremely aggressively, Porter finished the game with 11 points (5-7 FG, 1-2 3PT), two rebounds, and one assist in just his fourth start of the season. 6-2 freshman guard Marcus Shaver Jr. continues to impress with his explosive speed and quickness. Shaver Jr. is really fast with the ball in his hands, creative enough to get in the paint consistently, and can finish with either hand around the painted area. He has good vision and court awareness, He finished with 15points (5-8 FG, 5-6 FT), five rebounds and three assists.
For St. Mary’s the play of 6-11 senior center Jock Landale was very admirable as he played his way to a double-double scoring 23 points (6-13 FG, 11-14 FT) and ten rebounds and added three assists. Landale is a very versatile big man who is very patient on the offensive end reading the options out of the sets. He has an extremely good touch, form, and shooting technique for a center. He showed flashes of dribbling out of post traps and making the correct read, and keeps ball held high above head. He’s also solid in pick and roll sets, runs the floor well and is a pro prospect. 6-6 sophomore combo guard Tanner Krebs also competed well The slender athletic wing battled his way to 16 points (8-8 FT), eight rebounds and two steals. He runs the floor well, battles physically and has good touch from the free throw line.
Interesting Stats
- Mary’s led 30:32 of game
- Rebounds: Mary’s 32 – Portland 25
- FT: St. Marys 82.9% (29-35) – Portland 7% (10-15)
Portland (10-19, 4-12) hosts BYU (21-8, 10-6) on Thursday night.
This article was written by Lorenzo Leaks, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter. We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout certification program. For information contact us and forward your resume.
