PROVO, Utah --- Portland's Haylee Andrews scored 19 points, Julie Spencer collected her fifth double-double of the season, and the Pilots led for almost the entire game at the Marriott Center, but the BYU Cougars used a late run to claim a 79-71 win on Saturday afternoon. Spencer finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and she's now just eight points shy of reaching 1,000 for her career.
 
The Pilots held leads of 16 points in the first half and 10 points in the third quarter before the Cougars used a 16-0 run to surge in front during the final frame. Free throws by Shaylee Gonzalez gave BYU their first lead of the game with 3:10 remaining, and the Cougars would cruise from there as the Pilots went more than four minutes without a point.
 
BYU (16-3, 8-0 WCC) stays perfect in the West Coast Conference, and they were coming off an upset of No. 13 Gonzaga on Thursday night. The Pilots, who won at San Diego on Thursday, drop to 9-9 overall and to 1-6 in the WCC.
 
It was all Portland early on as the Pilots surged ahead in the first quarter. Spencer opened the game with a three-pointer, and moments later she knocked down another one from beyond the arc, giving the Pilots an 18-8 edge. Andrews was active in the first half, and she beat the first-quarter buzzer with a lay-up to hand the visitors a 12-point lead going to the second.
 
From there the Pilots' lead would grow, and six unanswered points made it a 33-17 game just three minutes into the period. Andrews capped the quick 6-0 run when she grabbed the rebound at one end before heading the other way for a lay-up. Portland's advantage would remain in double digits with the help of a Maddie Muhlheim three, another lay-in by Andrews, and a mid-range jumper by Spencer, but the Cougars ended the half by scoring seven straight points to pull within 44-37 at the break.
 
Spencer nearly had a double-double by halftime with 12 points and seven boards, and Andrews added 10 points during the first 20 minutes.
 
Both offenses cooled off in the third quarter, but Portland was able to maintain their lead. Spencer buried a three-pointer late in the period, which was followed by a pair of lay-ups by Andrews to push the Pilots in front by 10 points. The Cougars still couldn't get their offense going for much of the fourth period, and Portland's edge was still eight points when Andrews knocked down two free throws to make the score 68-60. That's when BYU embarked on their game-clinching run.
 
Darian Slaga added 14 points for the Pilots, who out-rebounded BYU 42-37.
 
Statistically the game was fairly even as both teams shot 40 percent and both teams connected for eight three-pointers. The Cougars did make two more field goals overall than Portland, and they converted four more free throws than the Pilots.
 
Maria Albiero led four Cougars in double figures with 16 points, and Gonzales posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists.
 
The Pilots return home next week to host Sant Clara and San Francisco in a pair of WCC games at the Chiles Center. First is a visit by the Broncos on Thursday night for a 7 p.m. tip-off.