Box Score
PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland freshman Alexis Gannis poured in 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Pilots handled the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers 82-50 in a women’s basketball exhibition game on Saturday afternoon at the Chiles Center. Gannis hit 11 of 14 shots from the field and corralled six offensive boards en route to the double-double.
Senior Karlie Burris also had a productive day for the Pilots, finishing with 17 points. Burris was 7-for-11 from the floor and hit two three-pointers.
UP sophomore Tara Cronin also reached double figures with 11 points. She flirted with a triple-double by grabbing nine rebounds and handing out a game-high seven assists.
Portland looked to run away with the game early, scoring the first six points on the afternoon. But the Mountaineers didn’t flinch and eventually led 23-21 13 minutes into the game. That’s when the Pilots would take over and embark on a 19-4 run to end the first half. Burris scored the first nine points for UP to ignite the run, helping the Pilots lead 40-25 at the break.
The run continued following the half as the Pilots scored the first nine points of the second stanza, building the lead to 49-25. Gannis began the half with back-to-back field goals. The first was a smooth post move down low, while the second came on a break-away lay-up.
With nine minutes remaining on the clock, Eastern Oregon would briefly climb back within 19 points at 59-40. But the Pilots would end the game on a 21-10 spurt to win by 32 points.
10 of Gannis’ points came during Portland’s game-ending run.
The Pilots shot 49.2 percent (32-for-65) on the day, hit four three-pointers and connected on 14 of 18 free throw attempts. The taller Pilots outscored the Mountaineers 46-22 in the paint, but only claimed a slim 39-34 advantage in rebounds.
EOU shot 30.9 percent (17-for-55) from the field, hit two of 15 from behind the three-point arc and went 14-for-15 from the charity stripe. The Mountaineers were plagued by 27 turnovers, which led to 20 UP points.
It was another productive day for the Portland bench, which outscored that of Eastern Oregon 39-22. All nine available players for the Pilots scored as sophomore Lauren Angel chipped in with eight points and senior Jennifer Wassom added seven. Angel had a game-high three blocked shots, as did Gannis.
The Pilots also opened up the offense, finishing with a 15-0 advantage in fast-break points.
Portland next opens the regular season with six straight road games, beginning with the season-opener at Utah State on Friday, Nov. 14. The Pilots and Aggies are set to tip-off at 4:00 p.m. (Pacific) in Logan, Utah.
The Pilots are scheduled to play their first home game of the season on Nov. 30 against Sacramento State at the Chiles Center.
