PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Portland Pilots trailed by as much as 16 in the second quarter but mounted an impressive second-half comeback to defeat the Montana State Bobcats 73-64.
The Pilots (5-4) had three players score in double figures, led by Dyani Ananiev, who had 18 points and four steals. Emme Shearer added 16 points and five steals -- all in the second half -- and Maisie Burnham helped out with 12 points and three steals.
How It Happened
After falling behind 12-5, Portland went on a 7-0 run with 53 seconds left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Ananiev, to tie the game at 12 at the end of the quarter. Portland knocked down two shots from outside to account for six of their 12 points.
Montana State then took a 33-17 lead before Portland responding by going on an 8-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Rhyan Mogel, to narrow the deficit to 33-25. Both teams traded baskets to make it 36-27 at the half.
Montana State continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 56-44 advantage late in the third. But Portland attacked both offensively and defensively to go on an 11-0 run in the final 1:48 of the quarter and make it 56-55 Bobcats after three. Portland took advantage of 10 Montana State turnovers in the quarter, scoring 13 points off takeaways.
Portland managed to gain control and took a 63-60 lead off a 3-pointer from Ananiev before going on an 10-2 run to grow the lead to 73-62 with 21 seconds to go in the contest. The Bobcats couldn't respond as they coughed up eight turnovers in the quarter, with the Pilots earning a 73-64 comeback victory.
Game Notes
» The Pilots rallied from being down as much as 16 points for the win.
» The Portland bench came alive by adding 31 points to its scoring output.
» The Portland defense forced 29 turnovers, the most they've forced against a Division I opponent this year.
» The Pilots were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying eight blocks as a team. Cochrane had six of those for her fourth game with five blocks or more this year.
» All of Shearer's 16 points and five steals came in the second half.
» Dyani Ananiev led the Pilots with a game-high 18 points. It's the fourth time she's led the Pilots this year in scoring.
» Ananiev's five games with 10 points or more are the most by a true freshman since Emme Shearer in the 2020-21 season.
Up Next
The Pilots travel to Texas to take on the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. The two teams play on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 4:30 p.m. PST. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.
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