LOS ANGELES, Calif. --- Portland's Haylee Andrews scored 22 points and made some key plays down the stretch, including sinking the go-head bucket, as the Pilots overcame the Loyola Marymount Lions to win 58-53 on Wednesday evening at Gersten Pavilion. It's the second straight game with 22 points for Andrews, and the Pilots complete a sweep of their two-game West Coast Conference road trip to Southern California.
 
After the two teams played a back-and-forth game from the opening whistle, it was the Lions who found themselves with a 51-50 edge when Chesley Gipson hit a three with five minutes left to play. The Pilots and Lions then exchanged baskets before Andrews brought the ball up court, drove baseline, and finished to hand the lead back to Portland with three minutes remaining.
 
From there it would then be another two minutes before more points were put on the board, and they came when Keeley Frawley connected on a pair of clutch free throws. Frawley had just corralled a huge offensive rebound before getting fouled, and she gave Portland a three-point advantage.
 
Two turnovers later the score was still 56-53 in Portland's favor, but LMU had the ball with nine seconds showing on the clock. On their final possession, the Lions went back to Gipson, but this time her three-point attempt was off, and Andrews was there for the rebound. LMU was then forced to foul, and Andrews sealed the victory at the line.
 
The win gives the Pilots their first 2-0 start in the WCC since the 1996-97 season. Portland, who defeated Pepperdine 74-64 on Monday, improves to 5-3 overall.
 
Andrews also scored 22 points against the Waves, and she was the Pilots' top rebounder on Wednesday, collecting a team-high eight boards.
 
Alex Fowler contributed 12 points and seven rebounds, and Maddie Muhlheim and Rose Pflug both finished with eight points.
 
Ariel Johnson registered a double-double for the Lions (1-6, 0-2) with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Meghan Mandel provided the defense for the Lions, recording an impressive five blocked shots.
 
It was a low-scoring first half as neither team was able to create much offense. The Pilots scored the first seven points of the game, with the help of lay-ups from Fowler and Andrews. But the Lions recovered, and they were within two points at the end of the opening quarter. Both teams struggled to find points in the second period until Andrews ended the drought with back-to-back lay-ins. Fowler followed with a drive to the hoop of her own, which briefly put the Pilots up five, but again the Lions responded and were within 26-23 at the half.
 
The game remained close in the third quarter and the Lions took their first lead of the day. That's when Muhlheim answered by burying a three to hand the advantage back to the Pilots. Pflug provided consecutive field goals later in the period, and the Pilots led by one with only the fourth quarter left to play. The Pilots did surge ahead by five early in the closing frame when Andrews found Fowler on a fast break, but LMU refused to go away, setting up the dramatic finish.
 
It's a quick turnaround for the Pilots as they now return home to host the Pacific Tigers on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off for the WCC contest is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Chiles Center.