Portland, led by injured coach, takes down No. 6 Gonzaga

The injured head coach of the team was walking on the sideline with the help of his knee. portland Pulled off one of the biggest upsets in school history on Wednesday night, posting an 87-80 win over No. 6 No. gonzaga.

The win snapped the Pilots’ (11–14, 4–8 West Coast Conference) 30-game losing streak against AP Top 10 teams, according to ESPN Research, while the Bulldogs (22–2, 10–1) lost to a team with a losing record for the first time since January 22, 2011, snapping a streak of 141 consecutive wins.

The win came just days after Portland coach Shante Legans was injured while playing on the scout team, so he could help his team prepare for a two-game road trip as injuries and illnesses plagued the Pilots.

“A lot of gurus say once you turn 40, don’t go out there and don’t play again,” Legans, 44, told the Field of 68 podcast network before Wednesday’s game.

“We were just going through some basic zone defense, offense, and I was on offense and my Achilles ruptured — the worst thing that could possibly happen at that time,” he said. “Former teammates joke that he stopped playing. ‘You’re not the same anymore.’ we are there [as a team]: Beat.”

Legans said Portland was on a winning streak this year and finally played a full game against its toughest opponent on the schedule. The Pilots had previously lost three WCC games that were decided by five points or less.

However, against Gonzaga, the Pilots made 66 percent of their shots inside the arc and 44 percent of their 3-point attempts, which was an excellent offensive output against a top-15 defense. portland freshman joel foxwell Finished with game-high 27 points, outshining Gonzaga star graham ikeWho led his team with 24 points.

Gonzaga’s last lead of the game came at 6:55 minutes of the first half, when Mark Few’s team was ahead by two. It did not last. At the end of the second half, Portland led by 15 points.

The game was Gonzaga’s last trip to Portland before the Bulldogs left the WCC to join the Pac-12 this summer.

After the win, Legans said that this was not the first time he has suffered an Achilles injury in a basketball game, which perhaps he should have avoided.

“Going through the motions, I tore my Achilles [last week]But that’s life. I shouldn’t be out there,” Legans said of his latest injury after Wednesday’s game. “I broke my second one playing one-on-one with one of our players seven years ago. However, this was even worse. But that’s okay. It worked. We won the game. i’ll take an achilles [tear] To win something.”