PORTLAND, Ore. - Coach Lorenzo Romar says he kept warning his Washington Huskies basketball team about the University of Portland.

Even though they won just nine games last season, he said, the Pilots would be tenacious -- and tough.

Romar was right. And the Huskies got beat.

Washington gave away a lot in the season opener last weekend: The Huskies turned the ball over 23 times and made just 18 percent of their three pointers and 59 percent of their foul shots.

But the Pilots played hard-nosed basketball, even rebounding from a four-point deficit in the final four minutes on their way to an 80-74 victory over their Pac-10 opponents.