MALIBU, Calif. --- Portland senior Kaylie Van Loo had 15 points and nine assists, sophomore Julie Spencer recorded a double-double and the Pilots used a big second half run to prevail 71-61 over the Pepperdine Waves in a West Coast Conference women's basketball game played on Saturday afternoon at Firestone Fieldhouse. The nine assists match a career-high for Van Loo, and Spencer notches her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 boards.
 
Spencer is coming off an 18-rebound performance on Thursday night.
 
After the Pilots (3-10, 1-1 WCC) had led for most of the afternoon, the Waves (3-10, 1-1 WCC) took a four-point lead early in the fourth quarter. But that's when the Pilots took advantage of Pepperdine's zone defense and embarked on a lengthy 19-2 run to take control of the game.
 
Freshman Kate Andersen helped spark the outburst with a three-pointer, on a feed from Van Loo, and Spencer kept the run going with a three-pointer of her own. Van Loo then gave the Pilots a 10-point lead with a lay-up, and the senior guard followed it with an and-one moments later to hand Portland a 62-49 advantage with less than four minutes to play.
 
The Waves, who defeated Gonzaga by 10 points on Thursday, couldn't recover and the Pilots cruised to the 10-point win.
 
13 of Van Loo's points came during the decisive fourth quarter. She also shot 5-for-8 from the field and made all five of her free throws.
 
Spencer was six of 12 shooting as the Pilots combined to shoot 46.3 percent overall, while connecting on nine three-pointers. Portland was also 12 of 15 from the charity stripe.
 
Sophomore Darian Slaga added 11 points in her first start of the season, senior Hannah Mattson scored nine points off the bench, and Andersen finished with eight points and three assists.
 
"I'm proud of the team and how they mentally prepared for today's game," said Portland head coach Cheryl Sorenson. "We had a great practice yesterday after a long travel day and it paid off. A number of our players are sick and battled through for great performances. Hannah hit timely shots, Holly led the team in hustle plays, and Kate made an impact on the defensive end being disruptive with active hands. It was really a great team effort."

Allie Green scored a game-high 26 points for Pepperdine, which shot just 36.4 percent from the field. They combined for only three three-pointers out of 15 attempts, and went 18-for-19 at the foul line.
 
The Pilots out-rebounded the Waves 38-29, which came after Pepperdine claimed a sizable 50-33 edge on the glass during Thursday's win over Gonzaga.
 
The Pilots featured a balanced offensive attack during the first half, and Portland held a slim lead for most of the opening quarter. The Pilots then held Pepperdine scoreless for five minutes to begin the second period, while creating a little breathing room. Freshman Keala Quinlan had a pair of field goals to begin the quarter, and Slaga buried a three-pointer to cap a 9-0 run and give the Pilots a 27-15 lead.
 
Portland's lead would remain in double digits for the next few minutes, with the help of a jumper from Spencer. The Pilots then cooled off from the field as Pepperdine ended the half with nine straight points, pulling within 31-29 of the visitors at the break.
 
Next up for the Pilots is a WCC contest against the Santa Clara Broncos at the Chiles Center on Thursday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.