PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland's Cassandra Brown scored 23 points and Cassandra Thompson registered a double-double, but the San Diego Toreros shot 74 percent in the second half to claim an 87-65 win over the Pilots in the West Coast Conference opener on Saturday evening at the Chiles Center. Thompson finished with 16 points and 11 boards for Portland's (2-10, 0-1 WCC) first double-double of the year.
 
The first-place Toreros (10-1, 1-0 WCC) shot 59.3 percent (32-for-54) overall and were led by Malina Hood's 17 points. San Diego was only up 10 at the half before erupting for 51 points after the break.
 
The Pilots hung around early in the first half and were only down 8-6 after senior guard Jasmine Wooton hit a short jumper from the key. Moments later the deficit was still just two after Wooton knocked down another shot from in the paint.
 
Portland would then go scoreless for five minutes as the Toreros built a 10-point lead. But a jumper from Kari Luttinen with 9:03 remaining in the half pulled the Pilots within eight and the deficit was only seven moments later when Wooton followed a jumper by Brown with a pair of free throws.
 
The lead then swelled to 15 before the Toreros settled for a 36-26 lead at the break.
 
The shots then began falling for San Diego in the second half and the lead quickly stretched to 54-34 with 15:01 left. The lead would soon grow further and the Pilots never got closer than 20 points from there as the Toreros cruised to the win.
 
It's the fifth time this season to score at least 20 points for Brown, a senior who's averaging 16.9 points per game on the year. She was a perfect 9-for-9 from the foul line against the Toreros and she connected on two three-pointers.
 
Thompson, also a senior, matched a season-high in points and she helped the Pilots claim a slight 34-33 edge on the glass.
 
Wooton overcame foul trouble to finish with 12 points. The senior guard now has 907 career points and she's poised to join Brown and senior Kari Luttinen in the 1,000 career point club this season.
 
The Pilots shot 35.0 percent (21-for-60) overall, were just three of 14 from beyond the three-point arc and went 20-for-23 at the line. USD hit eight shots from deep and went 15-for-27 on free throws.
 
Hood was one of five Toreros to score in double figures.
 
The Pilots next remain at home to host the Brigham Young Cougars in a WCC match-up on Monday night. Tip-off at the Chiles Center is set for 7 p.m.