SPOKANE, Wash.- Poor shooting cost the Portland Pilot women’s basketball team as they fell to Northwest rival Gonzaga, 64-55 at The Kennel Saturday night. Portland (7-11, 2-3 WCC) shot just 32 percent from the floor, making only one field goal in the final 10 minutes of the first half. Gonzaga (11-7, 4-1 WCC) took advantage by building a 12-point halftime edge and never allowed the Pilots closer than eight points in the second half. Khalila O’Rielly-Williams scored a game-high 17 points in the loss. Four Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Shannon Mathews’ 16 points, it was the seventh straight win at home for Gonzaga.

The Bulldogs jumped out of the gates on the Pilots and ran to an 11-2 lead, five minutes into play on a jumper by Anne Bailey. Portland regrouped and Ashlee Orndorff’s basket calmed the storm. Hanna Seltzer continued the Pilot run with two free throws and a lay-up, before assisting on Orndorff’s layup at the 12:44 mark to cut the lead to 13-10.

The defensive intensity picked up on both ends as neither squad scored over the next four minutes. The Pilots pulled within one point at 17-16 after two free throws by Whitney Grant, but the Zags would out-score Portland 13-2 and close the half with a 30-18 advantage. The Pilots shot just 21 percent in the first 20 minutes and went 0-for-3 on three-pointers.

Gonzaga’s frontcourt of Ashley Burke, Ashley Anderson and Anne Bailey came out of the break strong, scoring the Bulldogs’ first 11 points, the last two free throws by Bailey giving Gonzaga a 41-24 edge with 12:55 remaining.

Bailey’s lay-up at the 6:23 mark gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead of the night at 51-32. Pilot senior Khalila O’Rielly-Williams, the West Coast Conference leading scorer, scored the next eight Portland points to keep the game within reach.

Pilot sophomore Lauren Himmelspach was again very active off the Portland bench and brought the lead back down to eight points at 55-47 with a lay-in and 2:03 left in regulation. The Gonzaga backcourt of Mathews and Raeanna Jewell quelled the Pilot attack with consecutive baskets on the next two Bulldog possessions to put the game out of reach.

Portland shot just 32 percent (18-of-56) from the field and made only 1-of-11 from three-point range. Gonzaga shot 40 percent (23-of-55) from the floor and 63 percent (17-of-27) at the free throw line.

O’Rielly-Williams finished the night 7-of-15 from the field for 17 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Himmelspach scored 12 off the bench, while Orndorff added 11 points and seven boards.

For Gonzaga, Mathews went 7-of-14 from the floor for 16 points and added four assists. Bailey finished with 15 points, followed by Burke’s 11 and Anderson’s 10.

The Pilots return to the Chiles Center on Thurs., Jan. 29 to host San Diego at 5:00 p.m. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Northwest.