PORTLAND, Ore. - Justin Vander Baan's 17 points helped men's basketball take Portland to the final minute in a 74-64 defeat on Saturday afternoon in the Chiles Center.

The Northbridge, Mass. native added five rebounds and a block to his tally, followed by Alex Chaikin and Mark Butler with 11 points apiece.

The first half began with a five-minute defense-oriented period in which the Pilots took the upper hand, 5-3 at 14:57. By the seven-minute mark, Portland had earned a 15-8 stretch to lead 17-11.

The Pilots surged ahead to 24-13 using a 3-pointer and dunk by graduate guard Chris Austin at 3:35.

At the halftime break, the Leopards trailed 31-22.

Vander Baan posted 11 points, including a 3-pointer, in the opening minutes of the second half to close the gap to two, 37-35 at 14:56.

Seniors Chris Rubayo and Luka Savicevic nailed back-to-back buckets from long distance at the 11-minute mark to keep a 42-41 lead. The Pilots answered with a 14-3 run down to 8:56, including four from the charity stripe, to hold a 10-point advantage, 55-45.

Lafayette was yet to be deterred as it pushed on using a quad of scorers to stay within five, 68-63 with 1:34 on the clock. Butler (5), Caleb Williams (6), Vander Baan (5) and Chaikin (2) all contributed in the spurt.

Portland closed out the 74-64 decision with four free throws by Austin Rapp and a pair by Austin.

The Pilots shot 48.1 percent from the field and knocked down nine 3-pointers to the Leopards' seven.

Austin led the opponents with 20 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the field and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe.

The Maroon and White were held to 38.9 percent from the floor. Portland out-rebounded Lafayette 36-28.

After the holiday break, the Leopards conclude the first half of the season by hosting Stonehill on Dec. 29. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. inside Kirby Sports Center.


For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on Twitter @LafayetteMBB and Instagram @lafayettembb.