PORTLAND — Thomas van der Mars scored 27 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and sparked the go-ahead run in triple overtime that lifted Portland to a 114-110 win over BYU on Thursday night, despite 48 points from Tyler Haws.
After battling back from an eight-point deficit in the second OT, Portland (12-8, 4-4 West Coast Conference) forced a third overtime period with a 3-pointer from Bobby Sharp that tied it at 103. Van der Mars then sparked a 7-0 run with a tip-in and a pair of free throws as the Pilots held BYU (13-8, 5-3) scoreless over the first 3 1/2 minutes, then hung on for the win, snapping the Cougars’ five-game winning streak.
Sharp contributed 27 points, Ryan Nicholas and Kevin Bailey added 15 apiece, and Bryce Pressley had 12 for Portland, which shot 47 percent from the field and hit 14 of 23 from 3-point range.
