Gonzaga 74, Portland 61

Published Jan. 8, 2011 10:44 p.m. ET

foxsports

Steven Gray scored 18 points to help Gonzaga hold off a late Portland comeback to win 74-61 on Saturday night.

Gray led a balanced scoring attack for Gonzaga (11-5) in the West Coast Conference opener for both teams. Robert Sacre and Mathis Monninghoff scored nine points apiece for the Bulldogs.

Nemanja Mitrovic led Portland (12-4) with 16 points. Eric Waterford had 12 and Luke Sikma added 10 for the Pilots. Portland shot 52.2 percent from the field, made 7 of 12 3-pointers but were doomed by 20 turnovers.

Gonzaga led by as many as 18 points but Portland clawed its way back, trailing by just three with 7:13 left. The Bulldogs secured the win by ending the game on an 18-8 run.

The Bulldogs hit 41.8 percent of their shots, including 9 of 25 3-pointers and made seven more free-throws than the Pilots attempted.