The #21 Pioneer Men's Basketball team opened their season with a 75-67 (box score) victory over the NAIA II's 13th-ranked team, Northwest University Eagles, Friday evening. Gene Rivera scored 14 points with 9 rebounds.

Corey Allen (junior, Portland, Ore.) opened the game with a jumper in the paint thirty-seconds into the game. The Pioneers did not trail until the 11:38 mark when a layup by Pat Mattson gave the Eagles a 13-12 lead. The Pioneers countered moments later on a quick three by David Berggren (junior, Tualatin, Ore.), a story that repeated throughout a half that featured three ties and nine lead changes. The Pioneers held the largest lead of the half, 23-17, on another bucket by Allen. Northwest went on a 5-0 run to erase that lead. Northwest took their biggest lead of the half, 40-35, on a three-pointer by Luke Hammond with 1:45 left in the period.  The Pioneers, holding for the final shot of the half,  set up David Berggren in the corner for a three to cut Northwest's lead to two at the break, 40-38.

Corey Allen tied the game, 40-40, on a layup thirty seconds into the second half, the first of six ties, setting up seven lead changes in the second half.  Neither team managed more than a three-point advantage in the half until 3:11 remaining in the game when the Pioneers, feeding off a pair of big defensive stands, including a Gene Rivera (senior, Kahului, Hawaii) block of an Eagle three-point attempt, got a jumper by Thomas Tillery (senior, Portland, Ore.) to edge out to a 70-65 lead. A pair of Greg George freethrows put Northwest down by just three. David Berggren hit the front end of a one-and-one to extend the Pioneer lead to 71-67 with 1:50 remaining. He missed the second freethrow, but battled for the rebound, keeping the ball on the Pioneer end of the court. Northwest worked the Pioneers for a turnover. They took a jump shot and missed, but got an offensive team rebound to keep their hopes alive. They set for a three-point attempt by Pat Mattson, but the heavily-defended Mattson could not convert. Joey Toboni (senior, San Francisco, Calif.) fought for the rebound, rushing down the court for a jumper beneath the basket to extend the Pionere lead to 73-67. Another Eagle missed-three and a Pioneer defensive rebound set up a dunk on the other end by Tyson Papenfuss (junior, Clackamas, Ore.), to put an exclamation point on the game for the Pioneers and secure a 75-67 victory.

Greg George had 13 points and 8 rebounds for Northwest. Pat Mattson scored 13 points with 4 rebounds. Chase Van Cleave had 12 points, including a pair of three-pointers.

For the Pioneers, Gene Rivera had 14 points, going 5-7 from the field. He had 9 rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. Mark Robinowitz (senior, Portland, Ore.) had 14 points with five rebounds and two assists. Corey Allen scored 11 points, going 5-9 from the field.

The Pioneers travel to Stockton to take on the first of two Division I opponents on this season's schedule, playing the University of the Pacific at 7:30 pm.