DESPITE his team being overrun in the second half, Aussie guard Tyler Robertson was immense for the Portland Pilots during the team’s loss against their cross-town rivals in the Portland State Vikings on Wednesday.

Now in his senior year, Robertson has already enjoyed a stellar college career with the Pilots, and has more responsibility than ever. Although there is reason to believe NBL teams came looking to acquire his services over the past few months, the backcourt gun remained with the Pilots for the upcoming NCAAM season, looking to finish his time in the system on a high.

The Pilots came up against the Vikings in what proved to be an enthralling affair. Robertson and the Pilots stormed out to an early lead, taking a nine-point buffer into the main break, looking in complete control of the match. However, Portland State rallied in the second half, finally getting its offence rolling and made things extremely tense in the last few minutes.

The lead exchanged hands on a number of occasions, and when Vukasin Masic gave the Pilots the lead with just over six seconds on the clock, the game looked over. However, Ismail Habib stormed up the court in the dying stages, splitting the defence and nailed the game-winning lay-up to hand the Vikings a one-point win.

Although the result was not ideal for his team, Robertson’s presence within the game was immense, and was one of the biggest reasons the Pilots were in a winning position.

Portland State Vikings (75) def. Portland Pilots (74)

Tyler Robertson – 28 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal

Robertson was on fire for the Pilots on the offensive end, and delivered his most productive match of the season, accounting for 28 of his team’s 75 points.

Portland’s impressive first half was largely on the back of his ability to find the bottom of the net, with the Melbourne native producing baskets across all three levels.

Robertson made 12 shots on 23 attempts from the field, doing his best work from inside the arc after going 1/6 from three-point land. He used blistering pace and agility to break down the defence and create space. No player on the court registered more points than the Aussie, and he was almost the hero in the dying seconds of the match, but his three-quarter court hail mary was wayward.

Robertson was just as effective in both halves, perfectly splitting his points production with 14 in each. When the defence began to catch on to his damaging scoring ability, the guard got his teammates involved with some excellent passing into the lane, continuing to generate offence.

It was another terrific and impactful performance from Robertson, who continues to shine as one of the most exciting Aussies in the NCAAM.