PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Pilots (20-10) earned their first ever win in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) 72-63 over the Colorado State Rams (21-12). It's just the third win all-time for the Pilots in any NCAA Division I postseason event.

It was a career night for Rose Pflug, with the Portland native scoring 23 points along with a career-high seven rebounds and four assists. Alex Fowler added a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds – her seventh double-double of the season – and Maisie Burnham had 13 off the bench with seven rebounds, just shy of a season high in boards. Keeley Fowler was the final double-digit scorer with 12 points and five rebounds.

Fowler made history for the Pilots tonight. She moved up to fifth all-time in career points, officially finishing at 1,551 points. She also moves up to fourth all-time in points for Pilots who only played Division I basketball. Her 12 rebounds also put her in a tie for fifth all-time in career rebounds among Pilots who played Division I and eighth among all Pilots.

The first quarter was a dominant one for the Pilots. They put up 20 points while holding the Rams to 10, with Rose Pflug hitting three threes. Colorado State found more success from behind the arc to keep them in it, but the Pilots kept pace the whole way through. They both scored 22 in the quarter, with the Pilots holding a 42-32 lead with 20 minutes left to play.

The third quarter was a stronger one for the Rams. They managed to contain the Pilots slightly better and cut Portland's lead to one at one point thanks to an 11-0 run. But once again, the Pilots finished stronger, ending the half on a 7-0 run to make it 53-45 Portland.

The Rams pushed the Pilots to start the fourth, but an 8-0 run halfway through the final period gave them a double-digit cushion. After that, the Pilots just had to keep the Rams in check until the end. Portland fended them off for a 72-63 win.

The Pilots' dominance inside was key in this one. They outrebounded the Rams 45-24 and outscored them in the paint 40-24. They also shared the ball well with 21 assists on the night. That's the 14^th game this year where the Pilots have earned at least 20 assists in a game. They held the Rams to just 37% shooting.

The Pilots will now face off against the Oregon State Beavers in the second round. They'll play on Sunday at Oregon State at 4 p.m. Stay tuned to PortlandPilots.com for more information.