Box Score
LOS ANGELES, Calif. --- Freshman Annika Holopainen hit the go-ahead lay-up with six seconds remaining and Jazmyn Johnson followed a steal with a pair of game-clinching free throws as the Portland Pilots claimed a thrilling 63-59 win over the Loyola Marymount Lions in a West Coast Conference women’s basketball game on Saturday afternoon at Gersten Pavilion. The win snaps a five-game skid for the Pilots, who improve to 6-12 overall and to 1-4 in the WCC.
LMU drops to 8-11 overall, while falling to 2-4 in the conference.
The second half was tightly contested as there were 10 ties and the two teams exchanged the lead 11 times. With 3:44 remaining, LMU’s Alex Cowling gave the Lions a three-point cushion when she buried a three-pointer from the top of the key.
Portland junior Alexis Byrd then answered with a short jumper before sophomore Jasmine Wooton went coast-to-coast for a fast-break lay-up after making a steal, handing a slim one-point lead back to the Pilots. The Lions responded with a go-ahead jumper from Hazel Ramirez before Wooton came through once again by drawing a foul to earn a pair of free throws.
Wooton hit both as Portland re-claimed the lead, but the Pilots committed a foul at the other end of the court to send Ramirez to the free throw line. After hitting one of two to tie the score at 59-59, LMU came up with a big offensive rebound with only 38 seconds remaining.
After running the clock down, Chelsea Barnes missed the would-be go-ahead jumper with 11 seconds left and Byrd claimed the big defensive rebound. She then sent a perfect pass to Holopainen, who was racing the other way, and the Finland native made a nice grab before finishing with the lay-in, forcing LMU to call a time out with just :06 showing on the clock.
On the ensuing in-bounds play, Johnson was able to tip the pass away near mid-court before proceed to hit nothing but the net with two free throws after getting fouled with only three seconds left.
Portland sophomore Kari Luttinen overcame a tough day shooting to lead the Pilots with 12 points. Luttinen has scored in double figures 12 times this season and she has led the team in scoring 10 times. Holopainen finished with 11 points off the bench, and Wooton added 10 points.
Ramirez had 17 points for the Lions, Cowling scored 12 and Mackenzie Kerins grabbed a game-high 10 rebound to help LMU claim a sizable 47-32 edge on the glass.
The Pilots, who built a 13-point lead in the first half but would trail 28-27 at the break, shot 39.3 percent (22-for-56) from the floor, connected on six three-pointers and were 13 of 19 at the foul line. The Lions shot 36.5 percent (23-for-63) overall, knocked down four three-pointers and were just nine of 19 on free throws.
Next up for the Pilots is a return to California for a pair of WCC games next week. First on Thursday night, the Pilots will be in San Diego for a 7 p.m. game against the San Diego Toreros at Jenny Craig Pavilion. Portland then travels to Santa Clara to face the Broncos on Saturday.
