Box Score Box Score (pdf)

EUGENE, Ore. --- Portland senior Alexis Byrd scored a career-high 23 points and the Pilots made a run mid-way through the second half, but the Oregon Ducks would prevail 113-86 in a non-conference women's basketball game played at Matthew Knight Arena on Tuesday night. Portland's Kari Luttinen added 18 points, which all came in the second half.
 
After a sluggish first half that featured a lot of fouls and plenty of free throws, the game picked up a bit after the break. After leading by 18 at the half, the Ducks (2-0) were able to push the lead to 24 just two minutes into the second stanza.
 
The lead was still 20 moments later when the Pilots (1-1) scored 10 unanswered points to make it a 10-point game. Jazmyn Johnson had four points during the surge, while Luttinen capped the outburst with a lay-up and a mid-range jumper that made it 74-64 with 10:54 left to play.
 
The Ducks would finally score to end the drought, but Luttinen would hit another lay-up to keep the Pilots within 12 with just over eight minutes to play. But from there Oregon would push the lead back up to 20 points before holding on for the win.
 
Byrd scored 16 points in the first half before running into some foul trouble in the second half. She hit seven shots overall and was a solid eight of nine at the free throw line.
 
Jasmine Wooton added 15 points, while Cassandra Brown chipped in with 11 points before also encountering foul trouble. Cassandra Thompson led the way on the boards for the Pilots with 13 rebounds. It's Thompson's second straight game with double-digit rebounds to open the season.
 
Three players scored at least 20 points for the Ducks, who like to push the pace and are not shy about launching from three-point range. Jillian Alleyne had a game-high 25 points, Katelyn Loper had 23 and Chrishae Rowe finished with 22.
 
The Ducks hit 10 three-pointers and shot 46.1 percent (35-for-76) from the field overall. Portland countered with six three's and shot 36.7 percent (29-for-79) from the floor.
 
The game featured 50 total fouls and 74 combined free throws, with Oregon going 33 of 43 from the line and the Pilots shooting 22-for-31. Portland owned a slight 42-40 advantage in points in the paint, while the Ducks claimed a 51-46 edge on the glass.
 
After falling behind 11-7 early, the Pilots were able to put some buckets together and climb into the lead. A Brown three-pointer gave Portland its first lead at 13-12, and Erin Boettcher followed with a fast break lay-in off a nice feed by Byrd.
 
Brown then hit a short jumper in the lane and Boettcher added a put-back to make it 19-14 in Portland's favor.
 
But the Pilots would cool off from there and the Ducks would take advantage of plenty of free trips to the free throw line to re-claim the lead. Then a late 14-0 Oregon run helped the Ducks take a 54-36 lead into the halftime locker room.
 
Portland shot just 27 percent during the game's first 20 minutes.
 
The Pilots next remain on the road for another game against a Pac-12 opponent on Friday when they battle Washington in Seattle. Tip-off at Alaska Airlines Arena is set for 12 p.m.