PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots hung around for most of the afternoon, but the first-place Gonzaga Bulldogs would pull away during the final five minutes to claim an 85-63 win in a West Coast Conference women's basketball game played on Saturday at the Chiles Center. Portland seniors Cassandra Brown, Kari Luttinen and Jasmine Wooton each scored a team-best 14 points.
 
The Bulldogs remain undefeated in the WCC with an unblemished 10-0 league mark, while improving to 17-4 overall. The Pilots drop to 4-17 and to 2-8 in the conference.
 
The first-half remained close and the Pilots took a 9-8 lead when Wooton knocked down a three-pointer. The lead was short-lived however as Gonzaga answered with a three from Emma Wolfram and the Zags soon led by five.
 
But the Pilots refused to falter and were within reach for much of the first half. Brown hit a timely three-pointer to keep it close and Hannah Mattson drained a three to pull the Pilots within 26-24 with 5:36 remaining in the stanza. Moments later Ashley Gray had a nice put-back on an offensive rebound to keep the deficit at just two points.
 
The Bulldogs then scored 10 straight points to create a little separation before Mattson drained a corner three to end the drought. Wooton then just did beat the half-time buzzer with a tough lay-up as the Zags entered the locker room with a 40-31 lead.
 
Mattson was Portland's leading scorer at the break with nine points.
 
The second half began with two Gonzaga free throws before the Pilots cut deficit down to six. Brown hit a three and Luttinen connected on a mid-range jumper to make it 42-36 barely a minute in. From there Gonzaga would try to pull away, but the Pilots seemingly had an answer every time.
 
Wooton kept the Portland deficit at six with a jumper at the 16:46 mark and the Pilots were within four when Cassandra Thompson converted a tough reverse lay-up. Gonzaga's Elle Tinkle then made consecutive buckets but again Portland responded, this time with a Luttinen three and a field goal down low by Sara Zaragoza, which made it a 53-47 game with 12:48 remaining.
 
The GU lead would hover near 10 points for the next several minutes before Brown hit four consecutive free throws to pull Portland within 64-56 with 5:21 showing on the clock.
 
But that's when Gonzaga went on a game-clinching 20-3 run that covered nearly five minutes and sealed the win.
 
Both Brown and Mattson finished with three three-pointers, while Wooton shot 6-for-10 overall. Brown and Thompson were Portland's top rebounders with seven boards each, helping the Pilots win the battle of the glass 36-32.
 
Gonzaga won the game by shooting 55.2 percent from the field and post Sunny Greinacher led four Bulldogs in double figures with 18 points. Keani Albanez and Lindsey Sherbert both had two of GU's eight three-pointers.
 
Portland shot 38.3 percent for the game and neither team lit it up at the foul line, with the Pilots going 9-for-15 and the Bulldogs converting 13 of 18. Portland also had eight three-pointers.
 
The Pilots next remain at home for two WCC games next week at the Chiles Center. First the San Francisco Dons visit The Bluff on Thursday for a 7 p.m. contest. Santa Clara then comes to the Rose City on Saturday to face the Pilots at 2 p.m.