Box Score
PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland junior Laiken Dollente poured in 22 points and sophomore Lauren Angel matched a career high with 18 points as the Pilots topped the Saint Mary’s Gaels 74-62 in a West Coast Conference women’s basketball game at the Chiles Center on Saturday afternoon. It’s Portland’s six straight conference win and fifth straight win overall.
The Pilots led by double-digits for most of the way before the Gaels (9-17, 5-6 WCC) closed to within four points with 7:31 left to play. That’s when Dollente made a lay-up on a nice feed from senior Karlie Burris to give Portland a 66-60 advantage.
Dollente’s lay-up sparked a 10-2 game-ending run for the Pilots, who forced the Gaels to miss their last seven shots from the field and turn the ball over four times in the closing minutes. Dollente scored six points during the run, which covered the final seven minutes of the game.
Portland improves to 15-10 overall, matching its win total from last season. The Pilots, who are 8-2 in the WCC, match the second best start to conference play in program history. Portland began the WCC slate 8-2 during both the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons. Both those teams went on to finish 12-2 in the league.
The 1996-97 squad began conference play at 10-0 and finished a perfect 14-0.
Angel hit eight of 13 from the field and grabbed a team-high five rebounds. On Thursday night, Angel scored 17 points during Portland’s 38-point win over San Francisco.
It’s Dollente’s sixth 20-point performance on the season. She hit two of UP’s three-pointers against the Gaels and handed out six assists.
Sophomore Tara Cronin had it dialed in from the free throw stripe, going 6-for-6 from the line. She’s hit 11 straight free throws overall and has made 23 of her last 24 attempts. Cronin finished with 14 points on Saturday.
The Pilots led by as much as 17 points in the first half before settling for a 41-26 lead at the break. Angel had 14 points in the first half, while Dollente scored 11.
The second half began with back-to-back field goals by Cronin to push the Portland advantage to a game-high 19 points at 45-26. The lead was still 14 points 10 minutes later after a jumper from Angel made it 64-50.
Saint Mary’s then scored the next ten points to pull within four. But the Gaels would score only two more points, on a pair of free throws, following their 10-run.
Alex Carbonel led the Gaels with 17 points, while Louella Tomlinson had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Tomlinson, who leads the nation in blocked shots, finished with four blocks against the Pilots.
The Pilots shot 49.1 percent (28-for-57) from the floor and went 14 of 19 from the line. Saint Mary’s, which shot 33.9 percent (19-for-56) from the field, shot an astonishing 36 free throws, making 23. SMC was 1-for-7 on three-pointers.
Portland capitalized on 20 SMC turnovers with 22 points. 17 UP turnovers led to 10 points for the Gaels. Saint Mary’s held a 39-32 edge in rebounds.
The Pilots, who are a perfect 5-0 on the road during WCC play, next travel to Southern California for a pair of league games next week. On Thursday, Portland is at Pepperdine for a 7:00 p.m. game. The Pilots then visit Loyola Marymount for a 2:00 p.m. game on Saturday.
