The University of Portland women’s basketball team opened WCC play with a 78-57 loss to Loyola Marymount on Fri., Jan. 10 in Los Angeles, CA. Portland moves to 6-8 on the season, 0-1 in the WCC, while LMU improves to 9-5 overall, 1-0 in WCC play.

Claudine Auld scored LMU’s first six points of the game. The first seven minutes of the opening frame saw both teams match each other point for point. With the clock reading 13:06 the score was tied 12-12. Lion freshman Bianca Ziemann put the Lions up 14-12 with a lay-up off an assist from junior Raelen Self. Ziemann’s bucket began an 8-0 run for LMU who went up 20-12 with 10:36 remaining in the half.

Michaela Dalgleish ended Portland’s drought by draining two free-throws at the 10:13 mark. The Pilots would cut the Lions’ lead to only four points twice in the half, but LMU took an 11 point (40-29) lead into the lockerroom.

Portland started the second half out-scoring LMU 5-2 in the first three and half minutes and cut the Lions’ lead to eight (42-34). The Lions answered with a 20-0 run of their own keeping Portland scoreless for nearly six minutes. LMU cushioned itself to a 21-point lead en rout to the 78-57, win.

The Pilots were led by Khalila O’Reilly-Williams who had 19 points and nine rebounds. O’Rielly-Williams shot 7-of-20 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Michaela Dalgleish followed with 11 points on the night. Ashlee Giles added six points, while Whitney Grant and Amy Botto chipped in five points each. For the game, the Pilots managed to shoot just 30 percent (19-64) from the field, 27 percent (4-15) from three-point range and 88 percent (15-17) from the free-throw line.

LMU’s Claudine Auld led all scorers with a career-high 26 points. Auld finished the night shooting 11-for-14 from the floor, also collecting two blocks and one assist. Juniors Adrianne Slaughter and Michele Brown tied for second on the squad with 10 points each. As a team, LMU shot 53 percent (34-64) from the field, 20 percent (1-5) from beyond the arc and 64 percent (9-14) from the free-throw line.

UP NEXT: On Sat., Jan. 11, the Pilots will take on the Pepperdine University Waves at 7:00 p.m. in Malibu, CA.