PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland senior Kaylie Van Loo scored a career-high 23 points, Ashley Gray corralled a career-best 15 rebounds and the Pilots broke open a tie game with 30 fourth-quarter points to pull away from the Loyola Marymount Lions and claim a 71-56 win on Saturday afternoon at the Chiles Center. Julie Spencer added a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards for the Pilots, her third of the season.
 
The Pilots (5-20, 3-11 WCC) led for most of the afternoon before the Lions (11-14, 6-8 WCC) came out energized on the third quarter and soon jumped ahead. But Portland remained unfazed, and when Holly Blades drained a three-pointer with 1:44 left in the third, the Pilots had reclaimed their lead.
 
LMU then forced a 41-41 tie as the two teams headed to the final frame, and that's when the Pilots exploded for 30 points, which are the most scored in any quarter for Portland this season. Spencer opened the period with a jumper, Van Loo followed with a three-pointer from the top of the key, and Spencer added a lay-up as the Pilots lead 48-41.
 
The Pilots kept up the pressure on the defensive end of the floor, while continuing to knock down big shots on offense. Blades buried another deep three, and Van Loo connected on a pull-up jumper in the lane, while getting fouled. She'd make the ensuing free throw, capping the three-point play and a 17-4 Portland run, making it 58-45 with 3:13 left to play.
 
The Lions momentarily cut the deficit to six points with two minutes showing on the clock, but Hannah Mattson drilled a three-pointer for the Pilots to push the lead back to nine. Portland then went 8-for-10 from the foul line down the stretch, while holding LMU to just one point covering the final 90 seconds to seal the win.
 
Van Loo's previous best in points was 19, which she recorded twice this season. The point guard shot 10-for-13 from the free throw line, giving her 10 free throws in the same game for the second time this year.
 
Gray tops her previous high in rebounds by three, and eight of her boards came on the offensive glass. Spencer has all three of Portland's double-doubles this season, and Blades finished with 14 points.
 
Freshman Kate Andersen provided a spark off the bench for the Pilots, tallying career-highs in both rebounds (6) and assists (5).
 
Cheyanne Wallace led the Lions with 20 points.
 
The Pilots out-shot LMU 38 percent to 35 percent, while connecting for six three-pointers and combining to convert 19 from the charity stripe. The Pilots also claimed a sizable 50-35 edge on rebounds, and Portland had two players reach double digits in boards in the same game for the first time this year.
 
The Pilots led 29-20 at the half, and the 20 LMU points are the fewest allowed in half for Portland this season. The Lions though would score the first nine points of the third quarter to tie the game.
 
Next up for the Pilots is a road trip, which first takes them to Stockton, Calif., to face the Pacific Tigers on Thursday night at 7 p.m.