PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Pilots (1-0) took down the UC San Diego Tritons (0-1) 91-48 in their season opener at the Chiles Center. Alex Fowler led all scorers with 17 points on the night, also adding five rebounds and three steals.
Several Pilots stuffed the stat sheet for Portland. Maisie Burnham scored 15 off the bench for the Pilots and added six rebounds. Lucy Cochrane came up just shy of a double-double, posting nine points and 12 boards along with two blocks. Haylee Andrews and Maddie Muhlheim rounded out the double-digit scorers for Portland, putting up 11 and 10 respectively. 10 Pilots scored in tonight's game.
Sydney Brown was the top scorer for the Tritons with 13. UCSD made only 25% of their shot attempts and went 0-for-12 from beyond the arc.
The Pilots took a commanding lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Portland outscored UCSD 21-4 in the opening period, with the Tritons not scoring until they made a free throw with 2:39 left in the quarter. The Pilots never trailed at any point in the game.
The Tritons put up a valiant effort in the third, matching the Pilots point-for-point. But Portland pulled away with a 6-0 run at the end of the quarter to put their lead at 30. The Pilots started the fourth with a 9-0 run that put the game well out of reach.
Portland dominated inside against the Tritons. They outscored UCSD 52-24 in the paint and outrebounded the Tritons 50-35. They went 25-for-35 on layups and shot an impressive 87.5% at the free throw line.
The Pilots were able to turn pressure on defense into easy points on offense. They smothered the Tritons, forcing 25 turnovers and tallying 14 steals. They scored 29 points off those turnovers. Portland's bench also put up 45 points and the Pilots as a whole tallied an impressive 20 assists.
Next up, the Pilots will stay home for another doubleheader with the men's team, this time facing off against the Weber State Wildcats. The two teams will face off on Saturday, Nov. 13 with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats, video and ticket options.