PORTLAND, Ore. – For the first time since the 1997-98 season, the Portland Pilots (14-4, 4-2 WCC) earned a home win over the No. 16 BYU Cougars (18-2, 8-1 WCC) 75-64. The win is the Pilots' first over a ranked team since they upset Gonzaga in the 2020 WCC Tournament.

Alex Fowler was the leading scorer for the Pilots with 23 points as well as seven rebounds and eight assists. This is her third straight game with at least 20 points Her eight assists is a career-high. Lucy Cochrane added 18 points and five steals – both career-highs – while Rose Pflug scored 13 with four assists.

Shaylee Gonzales led the Cougars in scoring with 16 points. Four different Cougars scored in double digits tonight, with Paisley Harding (13), Lauren Gustin (12) and Tegan Graham (12) crossing the threshold as well.

The first quarter was a back-and-forth fight, with both teams trading buckets. The Pilots created some separation for themselves in the following quarter with a 9-2 run to start and an 8-0 run to end the quarter. The Pilots held a 39-27 lead at the half.

The second half saw plenty of the same fast-paced action that occurred in the first half. The Pilots kept a double-digit lead at the end of the third, but the Cougars came roaring back in the final quarter. After trailing from the second quarter onward, BYU managed to close the gap and take a one-point lead with 3:44 left in the fourth. But the Pilots didn't falter, earning a 7-0 run immediately after. Pflug scored eight in the final quarter as the Pilots outscored the Cougars 14-2 in the final three-and-a-half minutes to win 75-64.

Pflug's big night off the bench was par for the course for Portland. They got 21 points off the bench. 20 was the magic number for Portland, as they had 20 assists on the night for the 10^th time this season. They led for almost 36 minutes of game time and only let the Cougars lead for 22 seconds.

The Pilots' defense was also stout tonight. They held BYU to just 22% shooting from beyond the arc and also forced 13 steals against one of the most turnover-averse teams in the conference.

The Pilots will stay home for their next bout, taking on the Loyola Marymount Lions on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Portland's CW, with a live stream, live stats and tickets available at PortlandPilots.com.