PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Joel Foxwell scored 27 points and Portland upset No. 6 Gonzaga 87-80 on Wednesday night, giving the Pilots their first victory over a top-10 team and snapping the Bulldogs’ 15-game winning streak.
The victory also ended a 20-game Gonzaga winning streak in the series. The Pilots had not defeated the Bulldogs since an 82-73 triumph in Portland on Jan. 9, 2014.
James O’Donnell added 16 points for the Pilots (11-14, 4-8 West Coast Conference), who snapped a three-game losing streak. They were a 21 1/2-point underdog, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Graham Ike had 24 points and 10 rebounds for Gonzaga (22-2, 10-1), which had won 14 straight conference games. Gonzaga’s only previous loss this season came on Dec. 10 against then-No. 7 Michigan in Las Vegas.
Mario Saint-Supery’s 3-pointer got Gonzaga within 82-73 with a minute left. Ike added a pair of free throws and Braeden Smith made a jumper to pull the Zags closer.
The teams traded free throws before David Fogel’s layup pulled Gonzaga to 84-80. But then O’Donnell dunked for Portland with 23 seconds to go to seal it.
Coming off a 73-65 victory over rival Saint Mary’s on Saturday at home, the Bulldogs struggled from the start against Portland, trailing by as many as 15.
The Pilots, coming off a 104-74 loss at Washington State, jumped out to an early 15-5 lead after back-to-back jumpers from Foxwell. Gonzaga closed the gap, pulling to 17-16 on Ike’s layup.
Saint-Supery’s 3-pointer gave the Bulldogs a 28-26 lead with just under seven minutes to go in the first half, but it was short-lived. Portland led 39-33 at the break after Garrett Nuckolls’ layup.
The Pilots pushed the lead to 50-43 on Cameron Williams’ 3-pointer. The home crowd roared after back-to-back layups extended the lead to 57-48 with 13 minutes to go. Foxwell’s 3-pointer made it 67-56.
O’Donnell’s layup made it 75-60 for the Pilots with 5:42 left.
Up next
Gonzaga visits Oregon State on Saturday.
Portland hosts Seattle on Saturday.
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Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press
