PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Santa Clara Broncos broke open a close game with a run in the third quarter en route to a 56-44 win over the Portland Pilots in a West Coast Conference women's basketball game played on Thursday night at the Chiles Center. Julie Spencer just missed claiming a double-double for the Pilots, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds.
 
Offense was hard to come by for both teams throughout the night as the Broncos (7-7, 2-1 WCC) outscored the Pilots 15-8 in the first quarter to post an early lead. The Pilots (3-11, 1-2 WCC) did recover in the second period and were within 26-20 of their visitors at the half.
 
Both Spencer and Hannah Mattson knocked down a pair of three-pointers during the first half, and both had a team-best six points at the break. Mattson's second three, which came with 3:59 left in the second, cut the Portland deficit down to six points after the Broncos had led by 13 moments earlier. Darian Slaga then converted a lay-up to keep the Santa Clara lead at six just before halftime.
 
The Broncos then stretched the lead to 17 in the third frame before holding on for the 12-point win.
 
Spencer entered the night as the league's top rebounder against WCC opponents with a per-game average of 14.0. She already has two double-doubles on the season. Slaga had eight points, while Kaylie Van Loo, Holly Blades and Mattson each added six.
 
Van Loo also had an impressive eight steals, which is easily a career-high. It also missed matching a program record for steals in a game by one.
 
Morgan McGwire led the Broncos with a game-high 11 points.
 
The Pilots shot 30.8 percent on the night, connected on seven three's and made just five free throws. Santa Clara shot 38.5 percent, hit six from behind the three-point arc and combined for 10 free throws.
 
Portland next heads to Spokane, Wash., to face the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the McCarthey Athletic Center on Saturday at 2 p.m.