Box Score
PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland junior ReZina TecleMariam hit four three-pointers and scored a game-high 19 points to help lead the Pilots to a 70-62 victory over the Santa Clara Broncos in a West Coast Conference women’s basketball game played on Saturday afternoon at the Chiles Center. Senior Tara Cronin added 17 points as the Pilots win their second straight game.
Portland improves to 11-9 on the year, while moving to 2-3 in the WCC. Santa Clara is now 6-13 overall and 2-3 in the conference.
The game was close throughout despite Portland holding the lead for all but two minutes. The Pilots briefly led by 11 in the second half after Nakeisha Brown drilled a three and Natalie Day hit a deep two, making it 46-35.
But the Broncos would fight back, eventually tying the score at 52-52 with 6:37 to play. From there, the Pilots would tighten up their defense, holding the Broncos to just ten points the rest of the way.
TecleMariam broke the tie with pair of free throws before hitting a three-pointer to help push the lead back up to six. After a SCU lay-up, Day connected on a big three, giving the Pilots a 62-55 lead with 2:50 showing on the clock. Two free throws and a Lauren Angel lay-up later and the Pilots were comfortably ahead by nine with barely a minute to play.
TecleMariam, who led UP with 16 points during Thursday’s win over San Francisco, missed just two shots on the afternoon, going 5-for-7 overall. She was 4-for-5 from behind the three-point arc and hit five free throws. TecleMariam was also Portland’s top rebounder with seven boards, while handing out four assists and making five steals.
Cronin was also feeling it from the floor, finishing 6-for-12. She was a perfect 4-for-4 for the foul line, while matching TecleMariam’s four assists.
Lena Gipson registered a double-double for Santa Clara with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Meagan Fulps also scored 14 points.
The Pilots shot 43.6 percent (24-for-55) from the field, knocked down eight three-pointers and went 14 of 18 from the free throw line. SCU was 21-for-55 (38.2 percent), hit four three’s and converted 16 of 21 free throws.
Portland turned 19 SCU turnovers into 19 points, while the Broncos countered with just five points on 16 UP miscues. The Broncos out-scored the Pilots 30-16 in the paint , held a 19-10 advantage in second-chance points and outrebounded Portland 35-34.
The Pilots next wrap-up their first swing through the WCC with a road trip to California. UP will play at San Diego at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday before visiting Moraga for a 2:00 p.m. game against Saint Mary’s on Saturday.
