PASCO, Wash. - Portland ended their season in the Elite Eight of the NWAC Championship Tournament, falling to South Puget Sound today 72-59 at Holden Court in Pasco.

A promising first half went for naught, as PCC faltered late in the second half with ball handling errors and shots that would not connect.

The Panthers were executing their plan in the first period, relying on their stubborn defense and taking advantage of turnovers to score points. PCC led by as many as six and settled for a 34-30 lead at halftime.

The Clippers flipped the script in the second half, and turned up their defensive effort which pestered PCC into just 34 percent shooting and limited open looks from three point range. 

The game was up for grabs with 5:10 to play and the score tied at 57-57. From there, Portland could muster just one field goal the rest of the way as no Panther could find the range from inside or out of the paint.

Daniel James led PCC with 15 points and eight rebounds. Jamie McGrail added 11 points in his final game for the Panthers.

Portland finished the season with a 20-10 overall record.