FRANKFORT, Ky. – Portland jumped out to an early double digit lead and never looked back in a comfortable 67-42 victory over Abilene Christian in a quarterfinal of the Women's Basketball Invitational Friday at the William Exum Center.

The Pilots (13-12) forced 32 turnovers from Abilene Christian and held the Wildcats (14-12) to 26 percent shooting for the game.

Freshman guard Emme Shearer led a balanced attack with a team-high 13 points. Haylee Andrews added 12, while Rose Pflug and Jayce Gorzeman added 11 apiece off the bench.

Sophomore forward Alex Fowler finished with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting and moved within eight points of 1,000 for her career. She is on pace to become the fastest player in program history to reach the mark since the Pilots moved to Division I.

Portland shot 55 percent from the field and racked up a 33-15 margin in points off of turnovers.

The Pilots raced out to a 21-7 lead at the end of the first quarter with smothering defense. Portland forced 11 turnovers, had five steals and held ACU to 3-of-14 shooting in the opening quarter.

The second quarter followed a similar pattern with the Wildcats (14-11) struggling to find a rhythm offensively. The Pilots took a 38-21 lead into the half after forcing 19 first-half turnovers and holding ACU to just 31 percent shooting.

The lead would grow throughout the second half to as much as 32 points late in regulation as head coach Michael Meek was able to get 11 players court action on Friday.

The tournament continues with four more games on Saturday. The Pilots advance and will take on the winner of Florida International and Northern Arizona at 4:30 p.m. (PT).