LAS VEGAS – The Portland Pilots (19-9, 8-7 WCC) opened their WCC Tournament run with a dominant 69-44 win over the Loyola Marymount Lions (11-19, 4-13 WCC). The win is the largest for the Pilots in the WCC Tournament since the 1996-97 season.

The win pushes the Pilots to the semifinals of the WCC Tournament. This is the second time since Michael Meek took over as head coach of the Pilots that Portland has advanced this far. The last time they advanced to the semifinals was 2020, when they won the championship. 

Alex Fowler led the way with 17 points and seven rebounds, including a 9-of-12 performance from the free-throw line. Maisie Burnham also added 18 points off the bench. Alexis Mark earned a double-double for the Lions with a team-high 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The first quarter was an even affair, with both teams grinding out a 14-point quarter. But the second quarter saw the Pilots create some separation. They scored the first 13 points of the quarter and outscored the Lions 19-6 overall to take a 33-20 lead at the half. They held the Lions to just 8.3% shooting in the second quarter and 23.3% from the field in the half.

The Pilots all but put it away in the third quarter, outscoring the Lions 21-10 as they completely stifled LMU's offense. They held the Lions to under 40% shooting again in the second half, taking this one 69-44 to advance.

Portland's defense propelled them to victory. They held the Lions to just 30% shooting from the field, the second-lowest field-goal percentage they've held an opponent to this season.  They also forced 20 turnovers and 13 steals, scoring 22 points off those turnovers.

Portland outmuscled the Lions inside, scoring 36 points in the paint to LMU's 26 and grabbing 41 boards to the Lions' 36. The Pilots also added 16 assists on the day.

Next up, the Pilots will play the BYU Cougars on Monday, March 7 for their matchup in the WCC Tournament semifinals. Tipoff for that game is set for 12 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for broadcast information and live stats.