Robin Smeulders scored 19 points and hauled down nine rebounds to lead Portland to a 63-54 victory over San Diego on Thursday night.
Luke Sikma, son of former NBA star Jack Sikma, had 14 points for the Pilots (10-6, 1-1 West Coast Conference). T.J. Campbell added 11.
Brandon Johnson led the Toreros (8-11, 1-2) with 19 points.
The teams were tied for the eighth time, 38-38, early in the second half when the Pilots went on an 11-3 run and took a 49-41 lead with 5:53 left.
San Diego went nearly four minutes without a basket in the middle of the second half and during one stretch connected on just 1 of 15 shots.
Portland had a 31-30 lead at the half, which featured six ties and nine lead changes.
San Diego shot a woeful 8-for-28 (28.6 percent) in the second half.
Portland dominated the boards 37-25.
