Ryan Nicholas had 19 points and eight rebounds and Portland shot 73.9 percent in the second half in an 84-78 victory against Santa Clara on Thursday night.
Tim Douglas scored 16 points and Thomas van der Mars added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Pilots (6-17, 3-17 West Coast), who made 17 of 23 shots from the floor after intermission.
Denzel Johnson scored 18 points and Niyi Harrison 16 for Santa Clara (8-14, 0-9), which lost its 10th straight game. The Broncos were again without leading scorer Kevin Foster, who has not played since an arrest on suspicion of drunken driving on Jan. 21.
Portland led 75-73 before Kevin Bailey dunked and was fouled with 49 seconds remaining. He made the free throw for a five-point cushion that the Pilots protected at the free-throw line.
Raymond Cowels III scored 12 points and Brandon Clark 11 for Santa Clara, which led 38-33 at halftime.
